No Way Back
by WhyIsEverythingAlwaysTaken
Summary: Harry Dresden, PI, wizard and semi-professional punching bag has a new case, brought to him by a distraught middle school teacher. Ten students have gone missing during a school trip near Mt. Elbert, Colorado. Something up there is causing this. It's up to Dresden to find out what it is. (White Night/ Broken Barrier) I'm German, so this WILL be a little clunky sometimes, sorry.
1. Chapter 1 - A Case

Yo. So just as a heads-up, this is my first attempt at something like this. I was inspired by the only other lone Undertale/Dresden Files-author, jgjemmett, who mentioned somewhere in their chapters that they had expected to see more of this kind of mash-up. So, here I am. Have fun!

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Chapter 1: A Case

Some days, you're just lucky. Nothing much going on, your bank account for once doesn't look like you're going to be homeless soon. The pretty new mail-woman greets you with a friendly smile, a friend comes over to enjoy two bottles of the world's best beer together. No vampires ambush you in the parking lot, no faerie queens come to coerce you into being their errand boy, no zombies try to break and enter your flat.

You're allowed to feel relaxed.

This was not one of those days.

I'm not sure when I last had had one of these, if ever.

I'll admit, it wasn't anything life-threatening like the situations listed before, but it managed to ruin my mood all the same.

My day started in a mess. Molly Carpenter, daughter of one of my closest friends (I don't have many of those), ex-warlock (now under the Doom of Damocles), my one-year-apprentice and, most of all, moody misunderstood teenage girl with all the sass and edge, had decided to wake me up with some extra training of her own. It resulted in me trying to convince a handful of annoyed, stressed-out firefighters not to report either of us for alleged possession of dangerous explosives, and having to call someone to have my windows repaired. It's absurd how long wizards and magic have been around and there's still no potent spell for repairing your house if a potion blows up in your face. Not one that I know of, at least.

That was my Wednesday morning, and I was close to going back to bed and wait for Thursday to be better. That was when the phone rang.

"Dresden," I answered.

The female voice on the other end of the line sounded apprehensive, which I'm used to. Human clients usually aren't completely set on the idea of tapping into the world of magic, not at the beginning at least. Sometimes, they changed their mind in the middle of hiring me and went on to try something else. Of course, there was the other side of the coin too, but being hired by those kinds of people was often even more of a hassle. They tended to ascribe everything they saw and disliked to something supernatural – and turned to calling me a charlatan if I told them that _no_ , their neighbor was _not_ a werewolf, and _no_ , their boss was not possessed by evil spirits, he was just a jerk. They often also were even shorter on money than I was, so working for them didn't even pay that well.

That's why I react more complaisantly when the potential client sounds hesitant, but desperate. It has nothing to do with them being a woman, although I admit that it helps. Chivalry is a concept I refuse to let die.

"Yes, hello. This is Emma Harris, from Aspen."

Well, that was new. "As in Aspen, Colorado?"

"Yes."

"However may I be of help, Mrs. Harris?"  
"Well, I… I was wondering, if… gosh, this is weird."

"No need to feel embarrassed, Mrs. Harris. You're not the one calling themselves a wizard in the Yellow Pages." Joking around a little usually helped to ease the tension. Made you look more trustworthy and charismatic. Just had to watch out not to get too self-deprecating.

From the other side of the line came something close to shy laughter.

"Yes, well... I meant to ask you if you had any colleagues in Colorado."

Oh. Rude. You don't just call a business and ask for the contact info of a rival.

"None that offer their work like I do, as far as I know," I said, a little annoyed. "Please, do tell me your problem, maybe I am just as qualified to assist." A little passive aggressive, but I could still smell the burnt parts of the room and the stench didn't help my temper. Mrs. Harris's voice became hectic.

"Oh God, no! That's not what I was insinuating, I just… I'm not sure if I can afford the working fee plus travel expenses, and I didn't think that you worked outside of Illinois. I'm terribly sorry!" She was getting panicky. I regretted my earlier snarky comment and tried to sound conciliatory.

"No harm done, Mrs. Harris. Maybe you could describe your problem to me first and then we can discuss what to do next. I'm sure we'll figure out a solution that's benefitting to us both."

"If… if you think so, Mr. Dresden," she sighed. "To be honest, this is my last straw. I don't know what else I could do." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I'm a teacher at a middle school in Aspen. One of my classes… had been on a school trip last week. Three days ago, on their way back to school – maybe you've heard of it, it has been all over the news here – the bus had to make an emergency stop on the State Highway 82, to the East of Mt. Elbert. When they came back, ten students had gone missing." Her voice cracked a little, as if she was in pain. She stopped again. I waited patiently for her to continue.

"All of the returnees, including the accompanying teacher and the bus driver were in a weak state of mind. Some were under shock or terrified, most were just somewhat… confused. They didn't know where they were, or what they had been doing for the last few hours. Some were better than others, but… it was really eerie."

"I can imagine," I said, sympathetically.

"The police are working together with the park rangers to search the area, but they have had no luck so far. They've tried using a drone with an infrared camera, but as soon as they reached the area where the bus had to stop, the drone wouldn't fly."

That actually _did_ sound like magical involvement. Electronical gadgets don't go well with magic. It's why I drive an old VW Beetle. It's why I have candles instead of lightbulbs, no computer and even no running hot water. It just comes with the job.

"They also had search dogs with them, but…"

"But?"

"I've been there, Mr. Dresden, as a voluntary searcher. I've… seen them. The dogs… apparently they could smell something strange. One of the police men said that they were acting confused. Some even aggressive, as if they smelled something dangerous. That place… I don't know how to describe it, it just felt… strange."

I threw a short glance at my giant temple dog. Mouse was lying next to the couch, his ears twitching, probably dreaming. I mentally noted down to take him with me, if necessary. Anything those police search dogs could sniff out, Mouse could find and probably fetch, too.

"I think your hunch is right, Mrs. Harris. It definitely sounds like something supernatural is involved."

Mrs. Harris let out a short gasp. "Oh God. God, no. What am I… what does this thing, whatever it is, want with the children, Mr. Dresden? Please, if you know anything-"

"Please calm yourself. It's too early to assume anything."

"But didn't you just say, that something supernatural took the students?"

"No, I said that it was _involved_." I rubbed my forehead, thinking. "The way you describe it, there is definitely something in these mountains. That doesn't automatically mean that its aim was to kidnap a group of children. It could just be an unfortunate side effect and the children could still be wandering around somewhere. That being said…" I glanced at the broken windows and scorched walls. "It certainly wouldn't hurt to have me take a look at it."

"Yes, certainly," she agreed. "About… about the payment…"

I already knew that I _had_ to check on whatever was going on in Colorado, no matter how much the payment would be. I'm not made of stone, if there's a distraught woman asking for help and kids missing, maybe being in great danger, I wouldn't be able to turn her down with a clean conscience. That's just being decent, and I like to think of myself as a decent person. Not great, but… decent.

"We can figure that out once I've gotten to Aspen," I said calmly. "Don't worry about the travelling expenses, I… it's not going to be a problem."

"Are… are you sure?" She wasn't convinced. "How do you plan on coming here?"

Via a Way through the Nevernever. I knew one that would take me to Colorado in ten minutes. It led to a training camp of the White Council that had been set up ever since the war against the Red Court Vampires had started. It wasn't perfect, but if there wasn't another feasible way. My trusty Beetle was under repairs at the moment, and if I took a bus, I ran the risk of it breaking down somewhere in the middle of the trip. Not to mention that most bus drivers weren't all that ecstatic with having Mouse as an additional passenger. Taking the Passage through the Nevernever was a considerable risk, but at least I had a chance to _arrive_.

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Harris. Let's plan a meeting point for now, okay?"

"Yes, okay. … Mr. Dresden?"

I nodded absently. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

See? Decent.

"Who was that? A client?" Molly asked later.

"Remember what I told you earlier?" I replied, still a little annoyed. She stuck her lip out.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't talk to you until the window has been repaired. I'm learning my lesson, alright."

 _All_ the sass.

"It was nothing that would concern you," I said.

"I heard you mention Colorado before," she continued. "I wonder if we're going on a hiking trip."

" _We_ are going nowhere, Molly. Mouse and I will go. You stay here."

"But why?!" she exclaimed, frustrated. "I can help! I-"

"With causing a fire hazard in another state? No thanks."

"You know what I mean," she grumbled. "Why can't I come with you, but _Mouse_ can?"

"I need someone that watches out for me, not the other way round," I said.

"You don't have to watch out for me, I can handle myself," Molly exclaimed, raising her chin defiantly. "I've been a great help before and you know it."

"That was when we kind of knew what we were up against," I retorted. "I don't have the slightest idea what this thing could be. Could be life-threatening, could be boring. With my luck, it's probably not going to be the latter. You stay here, end of discussion. And that's enough talking."

"Three pairs of eyes see more than two. If you're just investigating, then my coming with you won't hurt. You're going to take a path through the Nevernever, aren't you? I could create a distraction if we're spotted…"

I raised an eyebrow, causing her to shrug in that 'I don't give a rat's ass about what you tell me to do'-teenager attitude.

"What's he looking so grumpy for?" she asked, focusing on one of the few parts of wall that had survived her experiment unscathed. "I'm just thinking out loud. Or am I not allowed to talk to myself as well?"

"I'll join you in your out-loud-thinking," I said. "And I _think_ you should stay at your parents' house for a few days."

That hit where it hurt. My student opened her mouth in protest, closed it again after thinking it over and proceeded to pout.

"If you manage to restrain yourself and your raging adolescence hormones, then maybe I'll consider being gracious and decrease the religious 'house-arrest-camp' to a 'stay and watch the flat'-time with Murphy and Michael checking up on you from time to time," I said.

"I don't need a babysitter," Molly objected, not putting too much force into her voice.

"True, no babysitter could handle you and your arsonist tendencies," I agreed. She sighed audibly.

"You're really mad at me this time, huh?"

"I kind of prefer my home _not burned_ , yes," I said. Another sigh.

"Fine."

After clearing things up with Murphy and Michael, I went on to start my research. Others hit up the internet or the library, if they feel particularly old-school. I have my own information storage for that, and he's arguably more and less efficient at the same time. Mostly depends on how interesting the topic is to him and how much he liked the last smut novel I gave him.

Bob was the skull I kept in my secret basement lab. Well, to be more accurate, he's the spirit of intellect that lives inside the skull. When I went down the ladder, two little lights sprang up in the skull's sockets, where the pupils would have normally been.

"Hey boss, sure was a good 'kaboom' first thing in the morning." The lights flickered curiously. "Do we have to move? Do I finally get my own shelf? Can we go to a place that has female joggers running by in the morning? Asking for a friend."

"Very funny, Bob," I responded. "You know that the apartment has seen worse than this."

"True. You're oddly obsessed with the old sinkhole. Anyone else would have left ages ago."

"I need your help with something, Bob."

"So what else is new?" The skull groaned. "Hit me up. I'm kind of in the middle of a good scene and I know you won't leave me alone until you're satisfied."

I told him everything I had gotten from Mrs. Harris.

"So _something_ happened," the skull emphasized. "Incredible. It's like I know exactly where to start."

"It doesn't sound like the Red Court would be behind this," I offered helpfully.

"That's not a start, that's leaving aside the obvious," Bob retorted.

"Try creatures associated with mountains that let people disappear," I said.

"Sure. Wanna start with the Moth Man?"

I blinked. "Is that actually a thing?"

"Not that I know of."

"Bob," I growled, slowly losing my patience with the wisecracking head.

"Spoilsport." Bob went silent for a while, checking his memory. "Could be Oreades. Mountain nymphs. Maybe you should take me with you, to… make sure."

I frowned. "Do Oreades normally kidnap a group of children?"

"Eh, no," Bob admitted. "Mostly pick up left behind babies and nurture them. Or petrify nasty men."

"Highly doubt it's Oreades then."

The spirit sighed. "Let a man dream."

I gave him a warning stare.

"Could also be Patupaiarehe," he continued after a while.

"I'm sure they have a name I can actually say and you're just being a smartass," I said and groaned.

"Also sounds an awfully lot like faeries."

Bob didn't care for my disdain. "Pretty sure it's gonna be some kind of faerie in the end, to be honest."

I groaned louder. "Let a man hope."

Bob grew silent again. Then: "Satyrs?"

"The Summer Court is more subtle than that, I think. I hope." I rubbed my forehead pensively.

"Oh! There's one kind that actually lives on mountains _and_ abducts children from time to time."

I straightened up. "What kind?"

"Where are you going again?", the skull asked.

"Colorado," I repeated, annoyed. Bob doesn't forget what I tell him. He just loves being dramatic about his reveals.

"Eh. If you're not planning to go to East Asia, forget it. They're very particular about their territories."

Great. "Great. Anything else?" Something useful for a change?  
The lights in the skull's eye sockets went from one side to another, as if the head was shaking.

"Nothing I can think of at the top of my skull."

"So I'm going in completely blind," I murmured, far from enthusiastic.

"Still placing my bet on faerie business," Bob commented. "You could try asking your little gofer.

Maybe they're more up-to-date with the Court politics."

Bob's advice was genuinely not a bad one, but I didn't get much out of it all the same. After getting him out to talk with some pizza as usual, I asked Toot-Toot if he had heard of a group of human children that had been abducted – by Summer Court, Winter Court, Wyldfae or anything in-between. Toot, as loyal as the Wee Folk can get, scratched his nose, trying comically hard to be of help.

"What, you mean… this week?"

I shuddered at the implication. It's not that I didn't know what kind of deals the Faerie made sometimes, but I liked to not think about it as much.

"I don't mean single lost children on their own, Toot. Abducted as a group."

"Hmm." Toot went from scratching his nose to plucking at his lower lip. "Not that I know of. But I'll keep my eyes, ears and everything else open, don't you worry! If you don't mind, I'll enjoy my pizza now."

Another dead end. Off to a great start. Hopefully the returnees from the school trip could give me some more helpful info.


	2. Chapter 2 - Night on Cold Mountain

This is another Dresden-heavy chapter, but I promise, the next one will actually start the crossover. Thanks a lot for the comment! I really appreciate it.

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Chapter 2: Night on Cold Mountain.

The next day, I got ready to leave. The appointment with Mrs. Harris was going to be the day after, but there were some things I was planning on checking before that.

I packed my staff, the things I had that were closest to hiking gear (you don't really need that as much in the beautiful flatness that is the State Illinois), along with some other things that were part of my standard getup, and had proven themselves to be useful quite some times before; my blasting rod, the revolver (human opponents tend to be more impressed by that than by a stick with runes on it), etc. Molly was kind enough to prepare some food for me, which I naturally inspected for any potions that would have me allow her to accompany her. She was crafty like that sometimes. I couldn't find anything though, so I took it as a peace offering.

Taking the Way through the Nevernever together with Mouse went peacefully. Which wasn't to say that it wouldn't have its repercussions later on. If anything, it made me more suspicious. You can't just pass through Faerie territory and expect nobody to notice and watch you. The White Council still had a guarantee of Safe Passage through the domain of Winter Queen Mab, but that didn't mean that some clever and bored mind wouldn't be able to somehow get a deal out of your ten minute trip.

From Anastasia Luccio's training camp on, it was just a short way to the next car rental. The man keeping watch wasn't overly interested in where I was going to take the car, or how long I intended to keep it for, so I guessed it wasn't _his_ rental. He only really raised an eyebrow when he studied Mouse for a while and then mumbled something about keeping out loose dog hair. Then he sniffled. Allergy.

Because of my magic, Mouse's size and the rental's… limited variety, along with my limited budget, I had to settle for an old red Subaru Sambar, which had to be a contender for the number one spot on the list of ridiculous looking cars. It had neither the charm, nor the natural class of the Beetle and when I started the motor, it had this weird clanking noise somewhere, which was probably not supposed to be there. Mouse looked at me skeptically from the back row, trying to find a good sitting position in the motorized Japanese suitcase.

"You'll get used to it," I said, more to myself than him, and tried finding the State Highway 82. My first goal was to find the spot where the bus had to make the emergency stop, and investigating the magical energy, if there was still any left. It always left a good impression if you already had some research or information to present to the client, but it was also a matter of urgency. If I wasted too much time, any hints I might still find today could be gone tomorrow.

* * *

Finding the spot wasn't all that difficult. It didn't take the eyes of a detective to notice the police cars and groups of people, all gathered in front of a hiking trail. I could already feel a slight supernatural influence on the scenery, nothing too strong, only residual – but it was enough for me to make take a mental note to keep my guard up and hold Mouse close. While exiting the car, I once again was glad to be wearing my duster. Murphy had warned me, but I guess I had underestimated the difference in temperature between Chicago and the mountainside of Colorado. Really now, who expects 40 degrees, at eleven AM in the middle of _June_? Back home, it was double that number. It wasn't like I went to Alaska, my state and this one almost shared the same degree of latitude. This was just stupid. And I was really confused by the fact that for now, this was my only thing I could complain about.

"Hey. You here for voluntary search as well?"

I glanced at the person speaking to me, avoiding eye contact as always. Wizards have the ability to soulgaze, which means that both parties are locked into having a look at each other's soul. Normal humans mostly hadn't really taken the impression my soul left on them all that well, and it wasn't really something I was too keen about having to experience, so I had trained myself to look at them but _not really look at them._

The guy that had started the conversation was a man in his thirties, trimmed beard, angular face, short blond hair, athletic build. He seemed calm and fit in well with the surroundings, practical clothing, weathered face.

Ranger, I surmised.

"Hi, I'm Clark Davis," he introduced himself and offered a handshake. I took it.

"I'm a Park Ranger," he confirmed my assumption. "If there's anything you want to know, ask away."

His words sounded friendly enough, but his expression led me to believe that I was somehow dubious to him.

"Harry Dresden, and apparently a suspicious person," I took the initiative. He faltered, then laughed, embarrassed.

"Was it that obvious? Sorry Mister, but you don't really look like you're from around here. And with searches involving children… you know… we kind of like to be a little cautious. Preventive, if you'd like."

I felt my stomach turn at the implication. "Yeah. Sure, makes sense. No, I have a good reason for being here."

"That reason being?" Clark kept interrogating.

"I was hired by the kids' teacher, Mrs. Harris. PI, from Chicago," I told him. Better eliminate all suspicions from the getgo, or the local police department might interfere with my work later on. I had plenty of experience with the police force and bureaucracy from back home, I didn't need to add to that here now – without a certain female Sergeant bailing me out each and every time.

"Chicago?!" he blurted out. "That's like, a twenty hour drive! What, were all the PIs in Denver busy? I'm sorry, Mr. Dresden," he added, more quietly, "But this isn't really a crime scene. The kids probably just bolted when the bus stopped, and then got lost in the mountains." He glanced at Mouse, who seemed to be bored out of his mind, but still glad to be out of the Subaru. "The dog might be helpful, sure. But we've got those ourselves. I'm not trying to undermine your work here, I just don't know how hiring a detective would help in this case."

Slowly but surely, I started to get annoyed. "Well, Mrs. Harris seems to think differently. You're welcome to check back with her, Mr. Davis, I'm sure she has her reasons."

Clark raised his hands in defense. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dresden. I don't have anything against you, personally. It's just the routine." He slowly put is arms down again, anticipating another outburst on my side. "I'm actually glad about every helping hand we can get. If you have the time, it would be great if you were to join the voluntary search teams. You can get a badge over there." He pointed at a makeshift desk with a policewoman behind it, handing out buttons and putting down names on a list of voluntaries. I nodded courtly, feeling bad for getting angry before. Clark wasn't the kind of guy who liked to get in your way just because he could. He was just doing his job.

* * *

Little more than half an hour later, I had already successfully lost the rest of the search party and was busy tracking the traces of magic, which were all over the place and varied in power. Whatever had caused them must have been a huge ordeal. Which made the Faerie more and more likely contenders and me less and less eager to actually find out what kind of complicated mess awaited me this time. I still had no idea what could actually be behind all of this. The type of magic wasn't very familiar to me.

Another thirty minutes passed, and I felt my legs weakening already. I wasn't used to mountainous regions, so it made sense. What made less sense was that eerie feeling of nausea I had developed since quite a while ago. It made it hard to concentrate on the residual magic and kind of made the rocky, cold ground look like a perfectly fine place to sleep. It was getting harder to keep my eyes open. Mouse, who had stayed close to me ever since we had arrived, let out a concerned whimper and I felt a cold, wet dog snout nudging my palm.

"Don't worry, Mouse," I said. "I'll sit down for a moment and take a short break." My voice was coming out weird. As if I was drunk. I was so tired.

I glanced around me, saw the rugged uphill slope, the trees, bushes. Why was it so cold? It was summer, right? I looked at my dog again. What were we doing here, out nowhere?

"Maybe… this… was a… bad…" I closed my eyes. And blacked out.

* * *

When I came to, it had already become nighttime, and the temperature had dropped to 20 degrees. I was freezing. Mouse's massive body stood over me, protecting me from anything that might want to jump us from the shadows. He was growling at something hiding in the darkness. A little dizzy, I staggered onto my feet and grabbed my staff, ready to use it against whatever was spooking Mouse. I swore internally. I was unprepared, I had just woken up and nature was calling, making it hard to calm down. Standing in the middle of the woods in the dark while being up against something strong and unknown didn't help.

So in my defense, it was only understandable that I reacted a little jumpy when I heard the sound of a branch snapping in half. I turned around, threw an unfocused "Forzare!" in its general direction, blowing away several fallen leaves, twigs and giving the bushes around us a new look.

"Ouch!"

I froze. That wasn't the voice of some unknown giant monster. It was a child's voice. Did I just attack one of the lost children? I threw a short glance at Mouse. He wasn't growling anymore. I leveled my staff and tried to look confident.

"Show yourself," I snarled. Whatever it was, it could easily just pretend to be a kid.

No answer. No reaction at all, really. I decided to risk it and unlocked my Sight. Another wizard thing. It allowed me to see everything as it really was, on a deeper level. It can be great if you're trying to find out if you're in danger or if it's relatively safe. The downside is that you never forget anything you've Seen. It makes sure to stay in your head forever. And many of the things I've Seen, I'd really like to forget.

The magical residues I had felt earlier today had weakened but still sparked up like fireworks as soon as I Saw them. I Looked into the direction the shout had come from and relaxed a little, only to get sucker-punched by guilt the second after. It really was just a kid.

Thank God. Dammit. I closed the Sight and lowered the staff.

"Come on out, I'm not gonna hurt you. Uhm… not again." I said and put on my nicest smile. "Sorry about that."

All I got back was a quiet sob. Hell's bells. Great job, Harry. You found a child in the middle of the forest at night. It's scared, lost, confused, undoubtedly hungry, cold and tired, and all you do is make it cry. Might as well call Lasciel's silver coin back and start off as a Denarian.

Mouse looked up at me in total agreement. He made a condemning puff, sat down and focused elsewhere. _This is your problem now._

I stepped forward, passed through the freshly trimmed bushes and found the kid behind a group of young trees. It was a boy, somewhere between eleven and twelve years old; And he was cowering on the ground, gasping at the sight of his attacker. I raised my hands in the universal sign for 'I mean no harm, sorry for being a complete jerk before.'

It didn't help. The boy winced, got up, his knees wobbling like the limbs of a newborn calf. He stumbled a few steps backwards before tripping over a root and slamming back first into the bark of a tree.

From there on he gave up and just started bawling again. I took a deep breath.

Yes, this is all your fault, Harry Dresden.

I decided to take a different approach and sat down in as relaxed a position as possible. I let go of the staff. I trusted Mouse that he would warn me in time in case something actually dangerous would show up.

"Hey, what's your name?" I said and tried not to take it to heart when the kid flinched at the sound of my voice. "I hope you're not injured," I continued. "It wasn't a focused hit, so the trees and everything else should have blocked most of it."

Where was I going with this?

The boy's crying had stopped a little, apart from some recurring hiccups. He cautiously raised his head and looked at me. Immediately, I darted my eyes away and started concentrating on a knothole right above his head. I really didn't want to be pulled into a soulgaze now.

"Are you one of the middle schoolers that got lost on Monday?" I asked.

Of course he was. There probably weren't that many eleven-year-olds just running around on their own on a mountain in the middle of the night. But maybe making it clear to him that he had been found by someone that came from the investigative side of things would help calm him down.

It did. He nodded hastily. "Were… were you searching for us? Are you… from the police?"

I snorted. "More or less. I'm a… detective of sorts. Your teacher, Mrs. Harris, hired me."

That did the rest. The boy let out a cry of relief, scuttled forward and grabbed the ends of my duster, shaking from the aftermath of the fear and stress he'd been under. Looked like he completely forgot about the spell disaster from before. Maybe he already thought he had imagined it. I reached out and patted his shoulder a bit. Poor kid.

"Let's get out of here," I said, looking up at the night sky. It was already turning into that blue-/grayish dark mauve color it gets around four or five am. In a few minutes it would be clear enough to climb down the mountain somewhat safely.

* * *

"I'm not sure, what to say, Mr. Dresden."

"What do you mean, Mrs. Harris?"

Mrs. Harris was a stout woman with soft facial features and a motherly atmosphere around her. She was the natural type – she wore close to no makeup, dressed practical and didn't bother dyeing the strands of gray that were starting to show up in her light brown hair. We had met up in front of the school building and gone to the teachers' office to talk. Classes had ended about fifteen minutes earlier and Mrs. Harris' colleagues didn't pay attention to us while packing up for their weekend. I felt strange, being here. As a child, I had never really gone to a public school, so I felt out of place.

"One of the lost kids, Liam, has been found today. He's a little out of it and dead-tired for sure, but other than that… he seems to be okay." Mrs. Harris wandered up and down, her thumbnail raised to her teeth as the remnant of an old habit. "I'm… I'm not sure anymore, if I really… God, this is so embarrassing," she exclaimed. "And you came the whole way here and all, but…"

"You're not sure anymore if there's something supernatural involved," I offered. She nodded slowly. Her back was turned to me, but I could see that the tip of her ears had turned bright red.

"If that's really the case and the kids just sneaked away and got lost during some kind of test of courage, then that's a good thing. A _really_ good thing, considering the alternatives," I told her. "But before you send me home again, I'd like to have a talk with the group that returned home from the school trip."

Mrs. Harris studied me doubtfully. The worn-out duster, disheveled hair, bags under my eyes and moss-stained pants definitely didn't help building up my trustworthy look. But her embarrassment was on my side. She wouldn't be able to cancel the request so easily.

"Do you want to talk to Liam as well, then?" she asked anxiously.

"Nah. He has just come home, he'll remember the trip long enough for me to talk to him later," I said. It would also appear pretty weird to her if we visited the boy now and he recognized me as the one who had picked him up on Mt. Elbert, when to her knowledge I had just arrived at the airport three hours ago.

The teacher let out a short breath of relief.

"I'm glad we agree on this matter," she said. "The poor boy should rest."

I didn't tell her that Liam was probably already being questioned by the police. I had only been able to get away by showing them my business card and the badge of the voluntary search team and giving Mouse the credit for finding the kid. Since I was the only one who had actually been successful, maybe they now thought that I had something to do with the disappearance of the children. It was a minor headache, it's not like I've never been suspected unfairly before. Still, it was a little annoying.

"Can you give me the contact information of the bus driver and returnees' parents?" I saw the squeamish look on her face. "You can accompany me, if you'd like." The interrogations wouldn't be very dangerous, and it would be much easier to enter all those thresholds if I brought someone along who wasn't a stranger to the families.

She hesitated. "Perhaps it would be better, if I went to the students' homes myself and…"

"With all due respect, Mrs. Harris, but that won't suffice," I interjected. "You don't know which questions to ask."

* * *

Apparently, neither did I. None of the students could tell me any specifics I could have used to figure out just what exactly was sitting on Mt. Elbert. The only useful information I got was from the bus driver, and I really didn't like its implications.

The man had a weak affinity for magic, not nearly enough to call them powers, but sufficient to make him more aware of things like these. He told me that he suddenly felt confused about how he got in the bus and what he was doing. Fortunately, his thoughts were clear enough for him to pull over and stay there for a few minutes. It was maybe the only thing that had prevented him from driving off the road or crashing into another confused driver. He had opened the doors to let in some fresh air, but that only made that petrifying feeling of confusion worse. When he came to, the missing students were already gone and the rest of the group felt either sick, tired or frightened. Some wanted to leave the bus and look for the others, but he held them back, suspecting some kind of natural gas leak. Others tried to call the police or their parents, but the phones simultaneously had all stopped working. Of course. With that much magical energy just flowing around, they got lucky the bus was still running.

Up until then, the stories of Liam, the other students and the bus driver were roughly the same. But when I asked him if he had seen anything else that was strange to him, even the smallest detail, he remembered something.

"You see, my watch… it must have been my imagination, but the hands of my watch spun around like crazy. Which is weird, because now it's working perfectly fine again. Here," He showed me his wristwatch, an ancient model. "This one is from my grandfather. I like the modern ones, but they never work longer than a week if I wear them." He stared down at the watch. "Must've been my imagination. The gas got my brain."

So something had been messing with time? Dammit. If it was a wizard, then they had broken the Sixth Law of Magic. And as a Warden I would have to report that to the Council immediately, or it would mean trouble for Molly and me if they found out on their own with me withholding intel. However…  
I didn't believe that there was a human behind all of this. Not with that kind of range. Not with that kind of power. Messing around with time wasn't only forbidden, but also tricky as hell. Before I notified the Council, I would go on another hiking tour and hopefully find something that would tell me what was going on.


	3. Chapter 3 - Monster Summer Camp

Chapter 3: Monster Summer Camp

Mouse and I returned to the same spot we had started at the day before and backtracked the way up to the place where we had found Liam. From there on, I started picking up the magical residues again, which had weakened considerably over time.

We wandered off, deeper and deeper into the mountains, until Mouse picked up a new scent. He didn't show any signs of aggression, however. I wasn't keen on repeating the mistake from the night before, so I was wary but kept calm.

"Show yourself."

Apparently, it didn't matter if I waved around my staff or just stood there. Whatever had been hiding before, it was now rushing away.

"Am I really that scary?" I muttered, a little frustrated. I was just starting to run after whatever we had encountered, but I didn't need to go very far – for the second time this weekend, I heard something tumble and fall down, followed by a childlike grunt.

"Ouch."

I got closer to the sound and already prepared myself for round two of taming a terrified lost child, when I finally got a look at just what exactly I had run into and run after.

Now I've seen many weird things in my lifetime of a relatively young wizard, and this one didn't even come close to some of the more absurd ones, but… it looked weirdly funny, to say the least. Also a little pitiful.

"Has this Mountain turned into Jurassic Park, or what?"

In front of me was what resembled a grotesque cutesy-version of a Velociraptor. Humanlike round head with a protuberant… snout? Nose? Dark yellowish skin, tail, dinosaur legs – but no arms. And it wore a brown-beige striped sweater.

If _this_ was one of the consequences of messing with time, then time had an awfully eccentric humor.

The Raptor-Kid/weird lizard thing struggled to get back on its feet, then turned around to me and took a few steps back, eyeing me cautiously.

"Yo. Are… are you a human?"

Hearing and seeing it talk threw me off, even though I had heard it complain just a moment ago.

"I think out of the two of us, you're the more interesting one," I said finally. If it was a faerie, then it _really_ didn't look like any other I had seen before, let alone behaving like one. I wondered if Bob had any info on talking Raptor-Kids.

Raptor-Kid seemed to adapt way faster than Human-Child from the day before.

"I'm a scout," it proclaimed, obviously proud of itself. Now it _did_ remind me of a certain faerie. "I must tell the others that I found a human!"

"Others?" I repeated. There were more Raptor-Kids? He was part of a group?

"Yeah," it confirmed. "But you can't come with me. Undyne doesn't want humans at the camp that she hasn't fought with."

I heard the soft tapping of massive paws on the ground behind me and glanced back. Mouse had decided to join us and sat down beside me.

"Oh! You have a monster friend!" Raptor-Kid seemed ecstatic.

"That's my dog…" I said, weakly. I'm not used to first encounters with new magical creatures not involving a fight to the death, so I was kind of at a loss for words.

"You have dogs on the surface, too?" Raptor-Kid's eyes grew big.

I decided to ignore any strange words that came from it. It was friendly, but didn't seem to be all that smart, so maybe, if I played my cards right, I would be able to take a look at its group.

"Yeah, we do. Look, actually I've come to talk to…"

What was the name it had said before? "Undyne."

It gasped. "You know Undyne? Of course you do, she's so awesome, how could anyone _not_ know her?"

Hopefully this wasn't going to bite me in the ass later. "Sure do. I'm here on the behalf of… humans."

This was _so_ going to bite me in the ass later. If Undyne turned out to be around the size of Sue from the Field Museum, then that was going to hurt.

Raptor-Kid was thrilled. "You're an ambassador? Yes! I found a really important person!"

It was so innocent. Why did it have to be so _freaking innocent_. Now I started to feel bad.

Mouse stood up and poked Raptor-Kid's chest with his muzzle, leaving behind the usual smudge of drool on the sweater. Raptor-Kid giggled and pressed its head against the giant dog's shoulder. Mouse panted friendly.

Thanks, partner. Not helping with the guilt.

"I'm gonna take you with me then," Raptor-Kid exclaimed innocently. Euphorically, it turned around and took a few steps, then stopped.

"Yo. I forgot something," it muttered.

"What is it?"  
"I… I'm kinda lost."

* * *

Having a dog is awesome. Working together with Mouse was even better. He didn't take long to find and easily backtrack the way Raptor-Kid had come from. _I_ didn't take long to understand why RK had gotten lost in the first place. His trail led us zig-zagging up and down the same hill, crossing the same goddamn creek at least five times and going around in semi-circles for quite some time. Part of me started to suspect an ambush. This couldn't have been on accident. This must have been on purpose.

Please, not the same creek again.

"You haven't seen many humans up until now, have you?" I asked RK after walking around for what felt like two and half an hour. My legs felt like it had been over a week. Stars and stones, why did it have to be mountains? Why couldn't every state be as flat as Illinois? 950 feet in altitude change were enough, who needed over eleven thousand? At this point, Colorado was just bragging. It was getting late and as far as I knew, we were only going further and further into the wilderness. Good thing I had a tent on me. I looked at Mouse. Good thing I had a bear repellant on me.

"You're the second one," RK said cheerfully. "Other than you I only know Frisk. We're pretty close buddies." It had been sitting on Mouse's back for quite some time now, after my dog had had enough of watching it face plant every other minute.

I had never heard of a wizard called `Frisk´ before, but it was interesting that at least one other human knew what was going on and didn't find it particularly important to inform any authorities. Then again, I'm not really one to talk.

Suddenly, Mouse stopped dead in his tracks, one paw still in the air. I felt the hair in the back of my neck stand up. Even RK seemed to understand that it had gotten serious, and didn't say a word.

Then, I heard footsteps approaching us.

"I'm gonna kill this stupid kid! I'll find him, save him, bring him back, and kill him! We don't have time for this!"

A female voice, sounding almost as rough as Murphy. The concerned undertone was also similar to Murphy's.

"Undyne!" RK cried, excited. It slid down from Mouse's back and ran ahead, disappearing in the undergrowth. I followed it carefully, trying to get a good vantage point without being noticed by Undyne. At least she wasn't as big as Sue, otherwise we would've heard – and seen – her coming miles ago.

"Kid!" Undyne sounded both relieved and angry as hell. If she was going to be any more like Murphy, I would have to rethink my strategy of having the moment of surprise on my side.

I could make out two silhouettes from where I was standing. One of them was RK, the other one seemed to have rather human-like proportions, with a tightly bound ponytail and… some kind of weirdly shaped headphones? It was hard to see in the twilight, with the shadows of the trees growing longer and longer by the minute.

I sneaked around the tree stumps, trying to get behind Undyne, who had just, in rapid succession, slapped RK hard and pulled it into a tight hug. "You dork! This isn't the underground! This is the surface! You can't just run off like that!"

"You also shouldn't let your guard down like that," I said, pointing my staff between her shoulder blades. Undyne tensed up. I stood close enough to her to realize a few things. First, she had quite the muscular, athletic build that she couldn't hide under her leather jacket. Second, she smelled a little like raw, fresh fish. Third, the weirdly shaped headphones were actually weirdly shaped ears.

A second later, I felt something thin and pointy being pressed against my spine.

 **"right back at you, human."**

* * *

"What are you doing there, Mister?!" RK cried, shocked. "I… I thought you were a good guy!"

It struggled a little, but Undyne didn't let go of it, shielding it from me. I really felt like the nastiest kind of villain now. Mouse joined us, immediately growling a quiet warning at the one behind me. He didn't seem all that ready to battle though, so I probably had started threatening the wrong people. Again. I sighed.

"Listen, you put whatever weapon you are pointing at me away, and I do the same. Deal?" I asked, trying my hardest not glance behind me.

 **"… ok."**

But nothing happened. Guess I had to put in the good faith. Trusting Mouse's judgement, I dropped the staff. Undyne immediately jumped up and spun around, again standing in front of RK, protecting it. Seeing her face also pulled a definitive stop over me comparing her to Murphy. Murphy might be a good swimmer, but she didn't have the face of a humanized piranha.

Great. Now get that picture out of my head.

The pressure against my back didn't vanish. So much for the good faith.

"I'd keep my part of the deal, if I were you," I said. Technically, I could've still just pulled up my shield, but I planned to avoid fighting for now. Showing them that I wasn't reliant on my staff might have made that harder.

 **"i am. it isn't a weapon."**

I didn't really want to have my back turned on Undyne, but the suspense was killing me. So I turned around slowly, waiting to be stabbed by a knife or a spear or something along those lines. I was almost disappointed. After RK and the female pirate-piranha with an eyepatch, this was just too normal.

Grinning up at me, there stood a chubby small skeleton, barely resembling a human one, in a blue hoodie, shorts and slippers. Great. Did I have to add necromancy on my list of problems to deal with?

The pointy thing it had held against my back was a small twig.

 **"hehe. looks like we just got out of a sticky situation** ", the skeleton said. He sounded like the most relaxed guy I've never met. His eye sockets held little white lights in it, similar to Bob's fake pupils at home. But a spirit wouldn't be able to move that well in something that… should fall apart on its own, actually.

 **"woodn't wanna start off with tree-son right away."**

What?

The skeleton peeked at the two people behind me.

 **"go on, undyne, leaf this to me."**

"Are you kidding me?!" Piranha shouted. "You're not a fighter Sans, I'll handle this."

 **"i won't fight,"** the skeleton replied. **"everything is a oak-ay."**

"And STOP IT WITH THE BAD PUNS ALREADY!"

Mouse groaned in agreement.

"A dinosaur, a fish and a skeleton walk into the forest," I said. Sans's light-pupils darted back to me.

"I think we started off on the wrong foot… fin… here," I elaborated.

"Tends to happen when you ambush people as a first-off greeting. Only a coward acts like that," Undyne snarled. She crossed her arms and studied me with somewhat _mad_ ferocity. By creeping up on her I had challenged and humiliated her. She _wanted_ a fight. She _lived_ for that. At the same time she didn't want to endanger the kid, and she had her priorities straight. I could respect that. I tried to ignore the thought that RK's presence might've been the only thing that stopped her from charging right at me.

I took a few steps sideways, coming to a halt next to Mouse, who yawned an impressive doggy-yawn. Now that I had the attention of all of the weird creatures around me, I had to think of something that would ease the tension a bit. None of the three here was dangerous – well, maybe Undyne was – and the adult (?) ones appeared to be reasonable enough to get to some kind of truce.

"From the way you're acting, it looks like you'd like to be left alone," I began. "And I hate to be _that guy_ , but I'm investigating the weird magical energy here and I'm pretty sure you are linked to it in some way."

Sans and Undyne shared a brief look.

"Let's take him to the camp," Undyne decided, finally. "Explain everything there."

 **"eh, i dunno."**

Undyne growled impatiently. "What else can we do? He has a dog, he can follow our scents to the camp anyway, it doesn't make a difference. It's either that or I get rid of him."

"I vote camp," I said.

 **"maybe he'll just go away if we ask nicely."**

"Or I'll do just that," I beckoned. I was positive I could take the two of them on if we had to fight, but those chances decreased if I added a whole camp of strange creatures with unknown abilities to the opponents' side.

"Shut up!" Undyne bellowed, suddenly grinning maniacally, like she was on some kind of drug. Heck, for all I knew, she probably was. "I vote FIGHT!"

I took a step back, ready to throw up a shield against… whatever she was going to come up with, I didn't see her carrying a weapon around. Maybe a magic blast?

But Undyne didn't follow through. Her grin turned into a disappointed grimace. "But I can't. I've got orders to bring every human that sees us to the camp," she told me. "Safe for those who attack us. Then I'm allowed to deal with them in… self-defense." Her fishy grin showed me every last one of her pointy, yellow piranha teeth. I got the message.

"Well then, human," Undyne said, clearly dissatisfied with the lack of fighting. "Follow me. Kid, you stay with me at the front, where I can see you."

I stood there and wagered my options for a bit. I really didn't want to fight them. If they turned out to be a relatively neutral third party, I didn't want to be the one to start another war. And judging from what I got from those two, this camp would not even place on my top twenty most dangerous lion's den expeditions yet. My biggest problem remained that I didn't know what their deal was. Finding the best course of action tends to be more difficult then. I glimpsed at Mouse. He still didn't seem alarmed or tense.

"Always have trust in your dog," I muttered and picked up my staff.

Only then I noticed that Sans had been standing next to me, waiting for me to move.

"So… you're the punny guy?" I tried to converse.

 **"heh. sure."**

"Any advice for me when we get to the camp?"

 **"yep."** The little lights in his eyes vanished. His grin, although unchanged, had lost all of its friendly impression. Mouse let out a short, deep growl. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

 **"hurt any of the people there and undyne will be the least of your problems."**

"Wasn't planning on it," I said earnestly. Sans's eyes flickered back to life, his grin friendly again. I didn't trust it this time. It was almost a relief. That side of magical creatures was familiar to me.

 **"good to hear, bud. see you there, i'll take a shortcut."**

I blinked, and he was gone.

* * *

The camp turned out to be not too far from where we had set off, and my legs were very thankful for that. Evening had passed and it was starting to get even colder. My eyes had already grown accustomed to the darkness when we arrived, so I used the opportunity to get a good look at my surroundings. I wasn't sure what I had expected from a camp that had… that much of a variety in it, but it was kind of a letdown. It was the most normal, most standard, most boring camp, if a little unorganized. The tents seemed like they had been all mass-produced by the same people, and here and there you could see piled up branches and logs, in case someone wanted to start a campfire and by that cause a fire hazard in the middle of the mountains.

I scanned the unevenly scattered tents for further monsters, but I couldn't detect anything.

"How many of you are supposed to be here again?"

Undyne sounded confused. "Where is everyone?"

 **"bro is doing an emergency evacuation practice with them."**

Sans came out from a group of tents behind us. He met my eyes for a second.

 **"just in case."**

And then he _winked_ at me. How. Just how. He didn't even _have_ eyelids. Freaking magic.

"Oh." The surprise in Undyne's voice was unmistakable. Then it changed into pride. "I didn't think he would grow into his new task so quickly! Funny, for him to come up with a security measure."

 **"yeah, right? the kid, tori and asgore are still here, i think."**

Raptor-Kid took the opportunity, whirled around and ran off. Undyne clenched her hands into fists.

"Hey! Kid, get back here!" She took a few steps in the direction the little lizard had taken off to, but then glanced back at me and apparently decided that it was more important to not take her eyes off of me for now.

"… Shit, I hope he stays at the camp this time. Sans, I can't believe I'd have to ask _you of all people_ , but go follow the…" She looked around. Sans had disappeared again. Undyne's left eye started twitching furiously. "This. Lazy-ass. Little. Punk. Ngaaaah!" She threw her head back and screamed out in frustration.

"I don't think the kid will run away again. Not that soon anyways," I offered my consolation. "He should be pretty tired by now."

Undyne's eyes darted back to me, and her absolutely livid expression almost made me jump. But then she relaxed a little and offered a genuine, toothy smile – which still looked kind of horrifying, considering her teeth would have it easy tearing off one of my limbs by choice. She came up to me and bumped my shoulder with her fist. I felt the strength behind it, but I didn't think it was on purpose. Undyne was just… very expressive.

"Thanks for bringing the kid back safely, by the way! I wanted to clear this up, in case we still end up fighting each other."

So she followed a code of honor. It fit her.

"Sure thing," I said, keeping myself from rubbing my throbbing shoulder. "You can thank me by explaining some things to me."

Undyne cackled loudly. Anything that came out of her mouth/maw was loud, really.

"You've got guts! I like that. I'm no good with explaining stuff though, the King and the Queen are better at that."

King and Queen? I didn't like the sound of that. My experiences with royalty thus far weren't exactly the fondest of my memories. The title still means business in the magical world. It means upholding etiquette, being as politically correct as possible (I'm just _so_ good at that), while still not coming off as too much of a doormat they could just waltz over. That being said, I wasn't scared per say. Just not very enthusiastic.

"If that lazy bag of bones is right, then they should be in the main tent."

* * *

The lazy bag of bones _was_ right. And I had to update my bias against royalty.

The King and the Queen of… this camp turned out to be goat people. Goat monsters, standing upright, about my size. Sure, why not. Maybe they would turn out to be some distant cousins of satyrs after all. The King seemingly also had some lion in him, he sure had the mane for it. They kind of reminded me a little of the furry-suits I had seen back at the SplatterCon!, just more friendly and… cuddly.

Maybe this was all just one giant prank on me.

Both of them looked up when Undyne, Mouse and I entered the tent. The white fur didn't obstruct their facial expressions one bit, and they looked close enough to humans for me to read some info off of them instantly.

The goat-woman was a mother first, and a queen second. She had that fuzzy, protective, warm but strict feeling to her. She was sitting on a make-shift stool, but I guessed her size to be around 5,6. A human child was sitting on her lap, ignoring me while munching on something that looked like some sort of pie. She registered me with welcoming but worried eyes. I started to feel the tug of a soulgaze and quickly averted mine. So these people (?) had something akin to human souls? This was just getting better and better.

The king was massive. He had the broad shoulders of a quarter back and the giant horns of an ibex. His posture screamed fatigue and nervousness, but he greeted us with a formal nod all the same. Unlike the queen, he wore a crown between his horns, but she struck me to be the more dominant of the two. Both of them wore purple clothing, the queen as a dress, the ibex as some kind of cloak, covering an antique armor.

"I've come to report!" Undyne saluted to both of them. "I encountered this guy and his dog about third a mile North-West to the camp. He had Monster Kid with him, apparently they ran into each other somewhere in the mountains."

The Queen jerked in her seat, almost enough for the child on her lap to lose… his (?) her (?) piece of pie.

The child also looked more attentive now. Who the hell were they? They seemed way too young to be part of the lost group of students. I recalled my talk with the Raptor-Kid.

Was that… Frisk?

"Did you do something to Monster Kid?" The child asked me calmly. Their eyes were naturally squinty and their expression could have been anything from bored to uncaring. Hell, the goat people felt more human than the child did.

And 'Monster Kid?'

Really? _Really_?

I decided to put my thoughts concerning the child on hold and shook my head. "It ran off when we got here."

"I have to give him this," Undyne interrupted. "Monster Kid was as cheery as ever. He took good enough care of him. Aside from a small _misunderstanding_ , he cooperated and came with me without causing trouble."

Surprised, I looked back at Undyne. She winked back at me, sharing her nightmarish grin once again. Apparently, she had decided to put some trust in me.

"That is good to hear," the king said, and stretched out his paw. It was probably double the size of my palm. It took a while until I realized that he was offering a handshake.

"My name is Asgore Dreemurr, human." He had a deep, smooth voice.

"Dresden," I replied courtly. For now, I still wanted to avoid being pulled into a false feeling of safety. That included giving them only one of my names.

The king chuckled. "You need not be wary, Mr. Dresden. Please, do take a seat. I imagine you have many questions that require answering."

"Maybe _we_ should be more wary," the kid murmured, now staring directly at me. "Maybe this is an ambush and he has friends waiting somewhere outside. If it was so easy to get him here, then that's not good."

And finally I understood why they were so hard to read. It wasn't that they didn't care. They made a deliberate effort to hide their emotions from me. It just took a closer look and it was so easy to decipher.

The kid was anxious. They felt helpless. They were concerned and… sad, for some reason.

The atmosphere in the tent grew tense after the kid had spoken up about their thoughts – but Undyne broke through it with another loud cackle.

"Nah, Frisk, don't worry! He was alone when me and Sans found him. I checked."

The kid flinched. I took a mental note.

"If you think so, Undyne," Frisk said and gave her a trustful smile.


	4. Chapter 4 - Frisk: They are Complicated

I completely forgot that Undyne is wearing an eyepatch in the last chapter. whoops!

I also forgot to mention Harry's burnt hand up until now. Double whoops!

* * *

Chapter 4: Frisk. They Are Complicated.

After listening to the story of the monster king, I was close to just go home and be done with it.

Apparently, their whole people had once been sealed into Mt Elbert (which linguistically had morphed into "Mt Ebott" at some point) by a group of powerful wizards after losing a war against humankind – about _six-freaking-thousand_ _years_ ago, based on the King's and Queen's descriptions of human society. That fuzzy quarterback-shaped ibex and his queen were older than any kind of scripture we still had. What the hell. They didn't look a day over… whatever thirty is in goat-years. They also didn't act their age at all. I could only guess that inside the sealed up version of Mt Elbert, time went by a lot faster than on the original.

From what I could gather, those pre-historic wizards were somehow able to connect the seal with the ley lines in the area, natural streams of magical energy that were running all over the globe, and by that having the seal holding itself together with the magic provided by the lines. They had created a closed up dimension, basically. It certainly was the work of experts.

The monsters then went on living inside 'Mt Ebott' in what they called the Underground, and established their own society down there, hoping that someday in the future, the seal (or the Barrier, as they called it) would finally break down and they could be released to the outside – the 'Surface.'

King Asgore's explanation as to how they could break the barrier in the end was a little lacking. Suspiciously so. As he told me, there was no way to break out of the seal, but there had been a point of access just at the top of the mountain, where unlucky humans would stumble in sometimes. By then, Queen Toriel's expression had darkened, to the point where I could see genuine disdain towards her… ex-husband, I guessed. I decided to keep that in mind for later.

Frisk had been the last child to enter the Underground. They befriended most of Monsterkind, and managed to tear down the Barrier at the end. I frowned, looking at the child – I still hadn't figured out their freaking gender. Going by their appearance, they could be either. It wasn't all that important anyway. How a normal human child was able to just break down the magical seal, crafted ages ago by a group of magicians, without much of an inkling of affinity to magic, was a little more concerning.

The monsters however _did_ possess magic. Quite a lot of it even. By their description, they were literally _made_ from magic, a soul and little physical matter. This was giving me a migraine. It all sounded like it would get terribly complicated very soon. I didn't need more complicated. I had enough on my plate as it was.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Dresden. Now that you are informed about our background, I would like to ask you a question as well," Asgore spoke politely.

I raised an eyebrow. "Ask away."

"I… I perceive you had close to no difficulties understanding my explanation up to this point. Seeing as Frisk did not know of the existence of magic prior to coming to the Underground, I have to ask… I mean…" His broad shoulders stiffened, his eyes darted around, unfocused. "May I ask… are you a wizard?" Asgore glanced nervously at my rune-clad staff. Toriel noticeably grew tense and hardened her jaw. Undyne exclaimed "WHAT?!" and stared at me curiously. Frisk made sure not to make it obvious, but they were just as anxious as their goat-guardians.

I didn't need to think about my answer.

"Well, cat's out of the bag." Asgore and Toriel had known wizards from before the Barrier. Asgore hadn't really asked a question so much as he really just wanted to make sure. The royal ex-couple grew silent. Undyne however…

"Woah, really?! You're a magician?! Right, you said something about magical energies before! Nice!" Her eyes were glowing intensely. "That means you're way stronger than Frisk, right?! Well, obviously, you're an adult, but… no matter! A human with magic! AWESOME!"

"Undyne, I believe-" Asgore tried to intervene hastily, but his Captain of the Royal Guard either didn't hear him over her own excitement, or she just flat out ignored him.

"I SO wanna fight you now! Come on! Let's do this!" She clenched her hands into fists and roared loudly. "I'm FIRED UP!"

"Please. Do not," Asgore pleaded quietly. And he wasn't addressing Undyne. There weren't any pretenses anymore. The guy was just _terrified_ of me. I was a bit taken aback by that and raised my arms reassuringly.

"Listen, Mr. Dree… Your Majesty," I said. Usually, I don't call royalty by their titles. But _someone_ had to uphold his status. "Do I appear like some murderous freak to you? I see no reason to hurt any of you, and that won't change until you give me one."

The King laughed hesitantly. "I… I had naively hoped that maybe humankind had… forgotten how to use magic. You can imagine, the mages back during the war were… let's just say I had my people flee on sight."

He didn't look me in the eye. "We are no fighters, Mr. Dresden."

"Undyne kind of contradicts that statement," I replied. Undyne, finally becoming aware of the state of her king, tried her hardest not to agree with me. She still stuck her chest out proudly.

"I-I am sorry, Mr. Dresden, I do not mean to deceive you. Undyne is… a special case, I assure you."

Hell's bells. This guy was so close to kneeling down in front of me, I could almost sense it. Sure as hell didn't like it. I hate bullies, and he made me feel like one.

"Could you-" I sighed audibly. "Could you please stop shaking, Your Majesty. I'll repeat it for you: I don't plan on hurting any of you, as long as you don't give me a reason to. I don't know why war broke out six millennia ago, but I'm pretty sure what counted as a good enough motivation back then wouldn't suffice today. Besides, other than you two, are there even any monsters left from the war? I'm not a fan of the original sin."

That seemed to calm him down a bit.

"Thank you for being so welcoming," Toriel said and had Frisk slide down from her lap. She stood up, holding herself graciously – as much as a goat-woman can, anyway – and bowing formally. I did the same. I really didn't care much for royal etiquette (I followed them if I had to), but for now I should just avoid doing anything that could be interpreted as an act of aggression, or the king might faint.

"I apologize for the lack of hospitality until now," she said. "Would you like some refreshments, Mr. Dresden? I take pride in my self-made butterscotch-cinnamon pie."

I hesitated. Based on what I knew about these people, there wasn't a catch to their offers. They didn't operate like the faerie, where you always had to watch what you say or you ended up owing them your first-born child, or whatever they had in mind. I didn't have children, but I still knew what it meant to strike up a deal with magical creatures. Plus, everything I knew about them was only what I had been told _by them_. A neutral source or first-hand-experience tended to be more trustworthy.

After that I got lost in thoughts, trying to imagine Queen Mab baking pie for me. A very unsettling thought.

Toriel picked up on my reluctance and giggled softly. "Do not worry, I promise I will not put anything strange in the food or drinks, nor do I expect any kind of compensation. I merely wish to treat you as a guest." Her eyes wandered over to Mouse, who had lain down at some point of the conversation. "I will have something prepared for your dog as well, of course."

Mouse twitched with his ears in approval, and I suddenly grew aware of my own hunger. I had been running around on the mountain for the whole afternoon, and it was getting close to midnight, of course I was hungry. A second later my stomach rumbled loudly, making the Queen laugh again. "You accept my offer, I take it. Wait just a moment, I'll be right back. Oh, before I go…" She pointed at Undyne, who had caught herself repeatedly looking at me with newly found excitement. "Undyne, I am sure you have a post to go back to. See to it that everyone can go to sleep, once Papyrus and all the others have returned from their evacuation exercise."

Undyne nodded, albeit disappointed that she was basically being thrown out. After that, the two women… females exited the tent, leaving Asgore, Frisk, Mouse and me behind.

Now that I was aware of how late it had gotten, I felt the exhaustion slowly taking over me. My throat also started to feel a little scratchy. Maybe I had caught a cold from yesterday's sleepover on the mountain. Perhaps now was the time to think about how I would get back. Sure, Mouse certainly remembered the way, but my wooly mammoth-canine was tired too. Neither of us had enough energy to just go hiking again, and with these temperatures, it would get dangerous sooner or later.

But before I just went away, I could at least try and find out something about the case I was here for in the first place.

"Say, Mr. Dr- Your Majesty…"

"Please, just call me Asgore, Mr. Dresden," the Quarterback-Ibex interjected, cautious, but less tense than before. "I may be a king, but I am not _your_ king."

"Interesting way to think about it," I said. "Anyways, have you or your people found any other humans on this mountain the last week? A group of ten… no, nine children has gone missing since Monday. They should be about three to four years older than Frisk."

"Human children? As a matter of fact, we have encountered some of them the day before yesterday. Two, to be exact. They should be under the care of… Papyrus right now." He looked down. "It was quite a sad sight when Undyne brought them here. They were unconscious at first, and when they woke up, they were so weak and confused… I suppose seeing a whole camp of strange monsters after waking up in the middle of nowhere does not help in that kind of situation. They frightened easily, but Papyrus and my… and Toriel eventually earned their trust. One of them has fallen ill since yesterday. We have been thinking about how to return them to their homes, but… it is not that easy for us."

I nodded. Only two children. Where were the other seven? Slowly but surely it was getting to a point where it was dangerous for kids to be alone in the wilderness, not even counting bears or other wild animals, just going by the temperature and the lack of food.

"Thank you for saving them," I said earnestly. It might not have been all children, but two more being safe was nothing to scoff at. "They are with… Papyrus, you said? What kind of… um… person is he?"

"I believe you are searching for the term we use to refer to us?", Asgore said helpfully. "You can simply call us monsters. It is not a derogatory term in our culture. As for Papyrus, he is a skeleton. You have already met his brother, have you not? He goes by the name Sans."

Once again, I noticed how Frisk tensed up at hearing that name. So the kid had some bad experiences with the guy. Maybe I should look into that chubby skeleton – figuratively – before declaring all of those new earth inhabitants harmless.

"Yes, I've met him. He's a member of your guard, right?"

For the first time since I had arrived, Asgore exploded into deep, rich laughter.

"Sans? A guard? No, he is only a sentry. I did appoint him as a judge. He has a knack of _knowing_ people when he meets them. But that is more of a formality. I reasoned the job would suit him just well, as he does not have to move much performing on it. He is quite the intelligent monster, but from what I know, he is… really lazy."

"He also is a great comedian." Toriel re-entered the tent, carrying a tablet in her fluffy hands. She bent down and put one of the bowls on it on the ground in front of Mouse – who immediately woke up and started gobbling up its contents. The tablet still held a pie (which smelled like heaven in my current state) and several cups of tea. I didn't care much for tea at all, but for now I decided it would be stupid not to accept something to drink. I would just fill up from my water bottle later. I still had some of the provisions Molly had packed for me after all.

"Opinions may differ," Asgore said.

"Mr. Dresden, I do not mean to impose on you, but… I think it's best if you stay the night after you've eaten," Toriel said, ignoring the king. "Even wizards get tired, right? I don't want to offend you, but you look terribly exhausted. In that kind of state, it wouldn't be safe for you to try and go back to… wherever you came from. I do not wish for you to be in danger." She put her hand/paw on my shoulder and tried to face me with a stern expression. I of course immediately averted my eyes, avoiding a soulgaze.

Her words caused a feeling of warmth building up inside of me. I do know some people that are helpful or will always have my back, but I know only one that is that earnestly and openly caring, without hiding it behind cynical jabs or rough remarks. And that person is Michael. Toriel reminded me of him, as trusting and optimistic as she was – especially considering I was still pretty much a stranger to them, and a dangerous one at that, at least as far as they knew.

And still I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. I did know their background now, vaguely, but… I had a hunch that Asgore, and by extension all of them, was hiding something pretty important from me. Then there was Sans, who apparently had secrets not even the king was aware of, and for all I knew could just come up and murder me in my sleep if I didn't watch out. On the other hand… the King was secretive about something, but he wasn't hostile. There were the two human children I should take home as soon as possible, and the other seven kids I still had to find. As for Sans… he certainly was dangerous, but I didn't figure he was out to kill me. For now, he had only given me a warning, which I could understand after meeting the King and Queen and seeing their reactions to my being a wizard. Plus, I could always just draw a magic circle around my and Mouse's resting spot, which should keep all monsters out. They were made of magic, there was no reason for that not to work.

And I was just too tired to imagine walking all the way back to the Subaru and then ending up sleeping in that miserably trash can calling itself a car.

"I'll take you up on that. Thanks, Toriel."

Goat-Mom smiled brightly. "I'm glad you understand. I'll have a spare tent prepared for you."

"That really isn't necessary, I've got my own tent with me, and…"

"I insist, Mr. Dresden. You are our guest, please leave this to us. Our spare tent is already set up, I don't want to see you pitching up a tent in the middle of the night."

I stared at her, a little dumbfounded. Asgore coughed nervously. "Tori, if he wants to-"

"Don't you 'Tori' me, Asgore," Toriel snapped back. "Stop treating him as a threat already, you cowardly king!"

Oh. Uuh… this was getting awkward. Asgore shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but his ex-wife was in full Queen-mode now.

"Your people depend on your leadership, how do you think they would feel if they saw you like this? Be glad only Undyne and Frisk were here when it happened."

She turned back to me and took a deep breath, before she went back to smiling.

"I'm sorry. Would it bother you if the king and I went outside for a minute? Frisk can keep you company – although it is way over bed time for you too, little one," she added, glancing at Frisk. The kid nodded. "Don't worry. When Mr. Dresden has finished eating, I'll show him the spare tent and then I'll go to bed, Mom."

What?

"Thank you, my child."

What?

Toriel and Asgore went out of the tent. I turned to Frisk.

"What?"

The kid pointed nonchalantly at the tablet in front of me. "Your pie is getting cold."

I snorted, and put my questions off for a moment, finally taking a piece of the pie. Its scent was getting more irresistible by the minute. When I took a bite and the flavor just melted on my tongue, I closed my eyes for a second, savoring it – and then proceeded wolfing down the whole piece, followed by another.

In between the bites, I finally managed to ask the kid some questions.

"Sho you call her Mom?"

Frisk sniffed at my lack of table manners. "Yes. She adopted me." They shrugged. "She's a wonderful Mom. I don't see why I should have to look for a human one."

Hell's bells. The kid was not talking right for their age.

I took a sip out of the tea cup. Wasn't so bad. Then I took another piece of pie.

"Andshou like living wish monshersh?"

The kid frowned. "What? Could you please swallow before talking? It's hard to understand you."

I gulped it down. "And you like living with monsters?"

Frisk nodded again. "I've brought them here. Now I should take care of them. I… I have to take responsibility. If they just go out and meet humans… they are really naïve. They wouldn't even know if it was dangerous or not. They are nice people. Much nicer than most humans I know."

I smirked. " _All_ of them?"

The kid grew tense. "I don't know what you mean."

I took another bite. "I'm pretty sure you know."

Frisk clenched his little hands into fists and looked at the ground. "I don't."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire."

They jerked up, angry. Well, at least the masking part was out of the way. The kid stood up, walked to the entry of the tent and stuck their head out, scanning their surroundings. After a few moments had passed, they went back in and sat down again, fidgeting with their fingers.

"I've seen you flinch at his name enough times now," I said, leaning forward. "Kid, you can tell me. What happened between you two?"

Frisk looked away. "He hates me."

"Why?"

"It's my fault."

"How?"

"I've… hurt him really bad down in the Underground."

I leant back again, almost falling down. I had forgotten that I was sitting on a stool, not a chair.

"How did you hurt him? I mean, you're a kid. How bad could it be?"

Frisk raised their head, slowly. "Really. Bad." They emphasized every syllable.

I couldn't help but feel a shiver running down my spine. Usually, I wouldn't take a child that age very seriously when they thought that they had done something wrong. But Frisk… they were one of those kids that had a look to them that didn't fit. As if they were older on the inside than the surface led on.

The thing is… usually, those kind of kids have lived through hell. They weren't the ones who caused it.

"Frisk, what… do you think he would do, if he hates you so much? What are you afraid of?"

The kid once again scanned their surroundings hastily. "He'll… he'll kill me," they whispered. Their fidgeting turned into trembling, their face pale, the eyes wide open. My skin went cold. I stood up, reached out to the kid and put both of my hands on their shoulders.

"Kid, calm down. You're not going to die. Not on my watch."

"I d-deserve it," they stammered. "I'm so s-sorry…"

I took the risk and looked them in the eye, long enough to make them focus on me, but short enough to barely escape a soulgaze.

"Kid! Relax. Everything is going to be okay. Breathe in and out, slowly."

Mouse came over, rubbed his head at the kid's stomach and nudged at their hand with his muzzle. The trembling quieted down a little. Then Frisk took a step back and took a deep breath, regaining control over their body.

"I… I'm sorry, Mr. Dresden. I guess it's just… way past my bed-time."

Yeah, right. Now that the kid wasn't shaking with fear anymore, I felt myself getting really pissed at a certain skeleton. But before I could storm off and unload all that rage at the right person, I felt a small hand take mine – the right hand, without a leathery glove on to hide hideous burnt flesh.

"Don't get mad, please," they said quietly. "I'll be fine. He's not the one at fault here, honestly."

Really didn't seem like it.

"You stay close to your Mom, okay?" I muttered.

"Promise me you won't confront him about it?"

I studied the kid. They looked serious. I sighed. "I can't promise you that, kiddo, I-"

"Please!"

I hardened my jaw. "Fine. I won't."

"Promise."

I took a deep breath. "I said I won't."

"You have to promise!"

"What promise?" Toriel came in again, looking anxious. Frisk ran up to her and hugged her tightly. "Nothing important Mom, don't worry."

Toriel raised her eyebrows. "I always worry when it's about you, my child. You're not really the most cautious one around here."

"Mr. Dresden just told me he could show me a spell tomorrow. See if I could do it too."

Geez. The kid was a natural.

Toriel studied me with even more concern. I raised my hands defensively. "I didn't promise anything. Frisk just brought it up and wouldn't stop talking about it."

For now I didn't want to mention my suspicions about one of their own. They didn't know me and if the kid, the only one who knew what was going on, didn't play along, I was just risking to be thrown out. And then it would be much harder to help the kid.

Toriel was satisfied with my answer and shook her head knowingly.

"It's no wonder you're curious, my child. But Mr. Dresden is our guest, don't bother him with something he doesn't want to do. Except if…" She glanced at me again, and I got it. As friendly as she was towards me, she didn't trust me completely. She was just trying to protect her child.

Like I said. Mother first, Queen second.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on doing anything. It's magic, not a parlor trick, right?"

Toriel smiled gratefully. "We'll take you and your dog to the spare tent now. Then we'll call it a night, do you agree?"

I yawned loudly as a sign of my approval. Goat-Mom chuckled. "Follow me, Mr. Dresden."


	5. Chapter 5 - Dresden, MD

Chapter 5: Dresden, MD

I slept way better than I had ever thought I would in a tent. The cloth the monsters used was pure silk, everything from the tent's outside – which made me wonder how the hell they were waterproof – to the mat I was supposed to be sleeping on, to the stuffed sleeping bag and the pillow, to the freaking additional three stuffed blankets Toriel had insisted on giving me to cover Mouse with. The mammoth of a dog actually did use one of them to lie down on. When I woke up, I could still feel the power of the magic circle around me. Looked like it had succeeded in keeping all murderous skeletons out.

The second thing I grew aware of was a hell of a muscle ache. My legs were killing me.

Mouse didn't bother getting up just yet, so I decided to go off on my own for now. If needed, Mouse would come running, I knew I didn't have to worry about that.

When I exited the tent, I almost jumped back in again out of shock. A small crowd of various kinds of weird creatures had gathered around the magic circle I had put up. They stared at me, full of curiosity. I felt like I was in a damn zoo, but with the roles switched.

"He woke up!", one of the monsters shouted excitedly. It looked like a partridge with a giant snowflake as a head.

"We can see that, Snowdrake," a little snowman with arms, legs and an icicle hat replied.

"You think he wants a healthy breakfast?" This time, it was a carrot speaking. A freaking carrot. With a face. This is not what I wanted to see first thing in the morning.

"He's dirty. He should take a shower," a turtle murmured. Normal turtle? Of course not. That one had a water basin as its shell. And the water basin… had a rubber ducky in it.

"He looks confused," a mashup of a clown and a voodoo-doll noted.

"He's going to break the magic circle now and wants all of you not to pile up on me," I said. The monsters were startled, some of them took a few steps back as I came closer and did what I had declared.

"A-are we disturbing y-you, human?", an upright sitting blue mermaid with an alien antenna growing out of her head whispered. She turned around, showing me only the back of her head. "M-maybe we should go, all o-of us… or maybe j-just me…"

I was so confused.

 **"yo."**

Startled, I whirled around, my staff ready. When I saw who had just sneaked up right behind me, all the anger from last night came right back. Sans was standing there, grinning at me.

 **"tori told me to take you to the other humans."**

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I spat at him. He shrugged.

" **welp, i tried. can't help it if i can't do my job. see ya later then."**

"Uuh… Sans?" The snowflake-partridge stared at me nervously. "Why… why is he so angry?"

I checked around me. All of the monsters that had gathered so curiously before seemed ready to run away at any moment now. Taking a closer look, the shy siren from earlier had already fled. I took a deep breath.

"Sorry. Just not a morning person," I lied and shot a hateful glance at Sans. "Go on. Lead the way."

"Aah, not a morning person. I can understand that!" The little snowman exclaimed in relief. Some of the other monsters nodded in agreement, others shook their heads.

 **"let's go then,"** Sans said and started walking.

* * *

"I want a word with you," I said after I made sure that nobody was close enough to hear us talk.

 **"sure can do,"** the skeleton answered calmly. **"want a hotdog on the way?"**

I frowned. "Are you kidding me?"

 **"nope. i've just never sold a hotdog to a wizard before."** Sans stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around to face me. **"i can imagine what you want to talk about. can we do that after you've met the kids? one of them is sick, and i think a human should have a look at that."**

Skeptically, I studied him from behind. "Why would you care?"

 **"papyrus does."** Sans started walking again.

This guy was a mystery to me. Was he a dangerous murderous skeleton now, or was he not?

* * *

Meeting Papyrus was one of the best and worst experiences of my life. As Asgore had told me before, he was a skeleton as well. And that was about the only thing he had in common with Sans. Where Sans was chubby and short, Papyrus was lanky and tall. Where Sans was wearing an old sweater, wide shorts and worn-out slippers, Papyrus wore something that looked a lot like self-made armor, a red scarf that probably was supposed to resemble the cape of something like a superhero, and high boots. Where Sans's voice was on the deeper side and almost bubbly, Papyrus sounded more like what I imagined a talking typewriter would sound like.

Where Sans was calm and witty, Papyrus was… well…

"SAAAAAAANS!"

 _Loud_ _._

" **hi."**

"WHO IS THIS PERSON?"

" **it's a human, bro.**

"WHAT?! A HUMAN?! ARE YOU SURE?" He studied me with a puzzled expression.

"BUT SANS! HE'S HUGE! HE'S EVEN TALLER THAN ME!"

" **they come in different sizes, pap."**

"I DID NOT KNOW THAT! WHY DID I NOT KNOW THAT?"

" **maybe you're not at your** _ **height**_ **of knowledge yet, bro."**

"TO BE SURE! I- WAIT. HEIGHT? SANS!"

The chubby skeleton chuckled. **"we're missing a** _ **sizeable**_ **amount of info."**

"SANS! I'M SERIOUS!"

" **hi serious, i'm sans."**

"NYEH! BROTHER, YOU'RE INSUFFERABLE!"

" **no i told you. i'm sans."**

I couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a snort. What can I say, I love a good bad pun. Papyrus picked up on my amusement.

"HUMAN! PLEASE, DO NOT TELL ME THAT YOU SHARE THIS GHASTLY SENSE OF HUMOR OF HIS!"

"Why?" I said, barely holding back my laughter. "Is it getting on your nerves?"

"YES IT IS, ACTUALLY!"

I had a great idea.

"But how?"

"HOW?! DO YOU NOT... WAIT... ... IS IST BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE NERVES?"

I tried my best to hide my laughter. "N-no?"

"NYEEEH! STOP IT ALREADY!" He stomped on the ground like a little kid. I heard a suppressed chuckle coming from behind him and glanced around the skeleton. Sure, I could have just looked _through_ the bottom of the ribcage. But that's just rude. We wouldn't want to be rude to Papyrus.

Behind the energized skeleton stood a kid, fitting into the age range of the group of the missing children. It was a girl, wrapped up tightly into several layers of the same silky cloth that I had slept on through the night. She had her black hair bound into pigtails, fixed with small ribbons. When I waved at her, she gave me a shy smile and took Papyrus by the hand.

"Papy, can I sit on your shoulders again?", she asked.

"BUT LITTLE HUMAN, YOU SHOULD USE YOUR OWN LEGS! WHAT IF THEY DISAPPEAR BECAUSE YOU DO NOT UTILIZE THE MUSCLES YOU WERE BORN WITH?"

"They won't disappear, Papy," the little girl pouted. "And my name is Amy. Not little human." She turned back to us and nodded. "Hey Sans."

 **"heya kid. all good?"**

"I'm tired," the kid sighed. "We were awake almost the whole night." She looked at me. "Hello Mister. Are you here to take us home?"

"On my To-Do-List," I said. "Where's the other kid, Amy? The sick one?"

"GOOD TO HEAR, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL LEAD YOU TO THE ONE WHO HAS FALLEN ILL SOONEST! LITTLE HUMAN!", Papyrus added, bending down to Amy. "I WILL ACCOMODATE TO YOUR WISHES, AS TIME IS RUNNING SHORT!"

Sans snorted. **"short."**

"SANS, I SWEAR!", Papyrus bellowed. He held out his boney arms and helped Amy climb up his armor, until she sat on the back of his collar bone. I grimaced. That could _not_ be comfortable. But the girl looked satisfied.

"Heeyah, Horsey!" She exclaimed and pointed somewhere in the distance.

* * *

The monsters had put the other kid in something I could only describe by comparing it with the spider cave Frodo and Sam had to pass through on their way to Mount Doom. It had several round passages leading of deeper into the mountain, and spider webs _everywhere_. I was just waiting for Kankra, the spider, flinging herself at me from the shadows and trying to stab and eat me. What came out eventually wasn't Kankra, but Muffet.

It was once again some weird mashup between a humanoid-shaped person and something else, a spider in this case. I was slowly getting used to that system.

She had five eyes, three eyes less than a proper spider should have, distributed evenly on her egg-shaped face.

She stood on two legs and had six arms, every one of them doing something different, which made it hard to concentrate. One of them pulled a tiny teacup out of her purple-pinkish balloon trousers, another was busy fixing the big ribbon she had tied around her chest. Yet another tucked at her black hair that she had tied to two pigtails, fixed by two more ribbons.

I think I just found out who had done Amy's hair. I shuddered. I think I also just found out who had been responsible for all the tents, the sleeping bags, the pillows and blankets.

"Ahuhu~ so you brought the wizard with you?" She looked at me with two of her eyes, while two others scanned the cave. The one in the middle blinked. "Can I interest you in buying some cider or a donut, dearie?"

"I'm good, thanks," I said. "Still holding out on a hotdog."

Sans chuckled and I had to remind myself that he probably was a horrible person.

Muffet tsk-ed, annoyed. "Stop stealing my customers, Sans."

 **"what can i say. they just crawl up to me, i spin around and they're there."**

"Sans, business is not a joke to me."

 **"maybe you just spend too much time on the web."**

"Sans, you… nevermind," Muffet giggled and twirled around elegantly. "We have a sweet young boy to watch over." She pranced forward and had us follow her around a corridor. Toriel, a much needed shot of familiarity and relative normalcy, sat on the floor and stared into a hollow in the passage. The whole had been stuffed to the brim with soft, silky cloth, and on top of that was a boy, his eyes closed, groaning, panting. He was wrapped up in a way that had an uncanny resemblance to flies tangled in a spider web, but at least it seemed like it was warm.

"Good to see you again," Toriel greeted me. "Thank you very much, Sans."

 **"no prob, tori."**

"SANS, HUMAN, QUEEN - OUR WAYS PART HERE. I BELIEVE MY VOICE IS TOO POWERFUL FOR THE WEAKENED LITTLE HUMAN TO HANDLE. I SHALL TAKE THE OTHER LITTLE HUMAN WITH ME!", Papyrus exclaimed, turned around, and strutted away, Amy still sitting on his shoulders. Like the solemn little princess she was.

"He is just precious," Toriel said. Her face grew concerned again. "Mr. Dresden, I don't know how to help this poor child. I have tried healing him, but it had no effect. Humans must have developed illnesses different from us monsters."

"I'm not a doctor," I said, but stepped closer anyway. I put my hand on the kid's forehead and frowned. "He's got a fever, but not so high that he should be suffering that much." Carefully, I pulled the boy's eyelids apart. His eyes darted around rapidly, his breathing became even faster and heavier. A cold energy trickled off of his skin.

Something was off.

"I think he's having a nightmare," Toriel muttered with the heartbroken voice of a mother who can't help her child. "I've tried waking him up, but he won't respond."

I felt my blood run cold. This situation – aside from the setting, of course – reminded me of a case a few years ago. Back then, a powerful wizard had caused me and everyone close to me one hell of a headache – or, to be more precise, his spirit had. He had used a demon to torture Murphy and another good cop I knew. I had managed to take care of him for good, so what in the world was this thing now?

 **"you don't look so good,"** Sans noted.

"Maybe my conclusion is a bit rash," I said, wishing it to be true. "But I've dealt with something similar before, I think. I'll have to…" I glanced at my company.

I would need to use my Sight to make sure. For that to happen, I'd rather not have all these monsters around. Call it stage fright. Or just a notion of not wanting to See all of them in their true forms. Now, how to-

 **"welp, this exceeds my paycut,"** Sans said and turned around. **"you care to chat, muffet?"**

The spiderwoman scratched her cheek with one of her six hands. "Uh… sure, why not. You want to create a joint venture?"

" **something like that."** Sans winked at me, and the two of them left Toriel and me behind.

Did he just read off of me that I needed some room for me to work? Freaking mystery man.

"Can I be of any help?" Toriel stroked the boy's head.

I shook my head. "I would like you to take a few steps back. I'm going to take a Look. I'll have to concentrate."

"Your special wizard Sight?" Toriel guessed. "Yes, I… I can recall. That way, you'll find out what is doing this to him?"

"I think so, yes."

"Will it… will doing that hurt him?"

I gave her a puzzled look. "Why would it?"

"Could I please stay by his side?"

I took a deep breath. If I was right, the longer we took to finally begin, the more the boy would get hurt. Toriel's reluctance was starting to annoy me.

"Listen, I get that you're not sure about me when it comes to your kind, Queen Toriel," I said sternly. "But why would you think that I was planning to hurt another human? A child, nonetheless?"

Had her fur not been pure white already, she would have gotten pale now.

"You misunderstand, Mr. Dresden, I… I was planning on giving you a hand."

I frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Toriel reached out and clasped my good hand. "Focus for a moment, Mr. Dresden. Can you feel my energy?"

I did. Stars and stones, I did. They hadn't lied to me when they told me they were mostly made from magic.

"The wizards back in the war often used that tactic," Toriel explained hastily. "They ambushed and caught weaker monsters and then used their life force to fight against the stronger ones. That way they didn't have to use a drop of their own energy."

"And you want me to…"

"Take as much as you need. I believe the child has the best chances if you can confront this threat without having to worry about yourself, at least at first."

I was stunned. "You… you trust very easily, don't you." No wonder you lost the war.

The Queen smiled nervously. "I view it as one of my qualities, not as a weakness." She looked determined. It would just be a waste of time trying to get her out of the cave. If she was willing to help… it really would raise the kid's chances.

"Fine," I agreed "but for now just let me check if it's even needed." I pulled my hand out of her grasp and closed my eyes, only to open them along with my Sight.

My stomach churned in protest when I Looked at the kid.

It wasn't as bad as it had been back with Kravos and the Nightmare, but the fact that a little kid was the one in pain came with its complete own mix of horror. A grey, worm-like gooey substance had wrapped itself around the boy's body. One end creeped over the kid's face, then went over to his ear and tried to slip in there. The other worm end had embedded itself into the skin of the boy's arm, shoving itself deeper between the muscles with every move. The stifling sob of the boy filled me with rage.

It was a parasite. And it was disgusting.

I stretched out my hand and tried to grab the spirit worm, but the gooey substance fell apart the instance I touched it. The worm's two halves wriggled for a moment, only to fuse together again. It was like trying to grab water. Living water, with a mind of its own.

"Fire might help," I muttered. That's what I had done that time, burned the dark spell to ashes. Only that I had thrown it out of a window first and had been able to aim freely. I couldn't just aim my staff at the kid and fire away, hoping that because of the good of my heart, it would only scorch the parasite. No, if I attempted to do that, it would leave the child with serious burn marks, at best. The control I had over my spells wasn't delicate enough to do something so operational. I spun around.

"Toriel! I-"

The Queen was engulfed in a strong, warm light. Light that embraced everything close to it, trying to nurture, trying to heal, trying to shield its protégées from everything bad in the world. My heart calmed down and my pulse returned to a normal, relaxed rhythm. As she stepped closer, the gray parasite on the child wriggled uncomfortably and shrank a little. It wasn't enough to destroy or stop it, but I realized that Toriel's presence must have somehow slowed the parasite's growth down. Without her… the damage could have been irreparable.

"You need my help?" Toriel tried to take my hand again, but I pulled away impatiently. "No! I mean, yes! But not that way." It was tiring and nerve-racking to hold up the Sight for so long. "You can do healing magic, right?"

"Yes? But I told you already, it didn't-"

"If you can heal, your control is good enough. Can you do fire-magic as well?" I interjected.

"Yes, I can. What do I have to do?" Toriel was prepared and put forth her strong resolve.

"Conjure up fire exactly where I tell you to." She nodded. I turned back to the parasite, which squirmed around, tightening its grasp on the boy. My pulse sped up again as I let my hand hover just over the gooey substance. Toriel closed up to me, not leaving an inch of space between us, and followed the movements of my hand exactly as I did them. Beneath her paw a blue flame burned steadily, about as big as a tennis ball. I had a hard time not pulling my hand away. Destructive magic that is not mine so close to me was not something I relished.

The reaction of the parasite was immediate. It let out a deafening shriek and twisted and turned around, trying to loosen its grip on the boy to get away. I had Toriel stop and watched the worm ripping its tail out of the child's arm. For the second time, my stomach started spinning around, making me sick. The worm was much, much longer than I had initially thought. There was just no end to it. Ever seen someone pull a mangoworm out from under the skin? Similar to that. Don't look it up.

The kid started flailing around wildly, screaming out of pain and fear. Toriel leapt backwards as to not burn his skin with her fire magic. The parasite felt the fading heat and threw its head around triumphantly. It continued ripping out inch after inch of its body and crept over the boy's face as he cried. With one final pull, it let go of the child and flung itself four or five feet away, targeting us instead. I gathered up my will and leveled my staff, focusing on the repulsive creature.

"Fuego!"

Fire blasted out from the tip of the staff, exploding into a huge flame that overwhelmed the parasite completely. I kept feeding the spell with my energy, even after I shut down the Sight eventually. I wanted to make damn sure that this thing would _not_ come back again. I only stopped once I felt Toriel grabbing my shoulder.

"Stop it, Mr. Dresden! You're going to boil us all alive!"

I stared at her and back at the spot where the parasite had been. Only a charred stain was visible in the mortal realm. It smelt like scorched cobwebs. Then I finally felt the heat that had built up. It was like a slap in the face. Behind us, someone cried out in desperation.

"Noooo! What did you do? What have you done?!" Muffet came running towards us, all of her five eyes teary, her face distorted in dismay. I felt the hair on my arms stand up under the sleeves of my duster. Had I just burnt members of her family too or something?

"This stench will permeate all the cloth we stacked further back!" Muffet cried. "We'll have to set a discount on it!"

Quite the business-oriented spider.

"I'm very sorry, Muffet," Toriel said. "The king and I will cover your losses."

"I hope so," Muffet hissed and went further into the cave, completely ignoring the heat – presumably to look at her cloth storage.

Toriel turned towards the hollow the boy was in, bent down and picked him up. "We'll have to take him outside. I don't think this much heat is good for him."

"Sorry, Toriel," I said. She winced a little, but gave me a friendly smile. "This… brought back quite the memories. Excuse me, Mr. Dresden," she said apologetically. While she was leaving the cave, I only went a few steps until I was overcome by the exhaustion that follows when you just burst out energy without taking a short break. I had reached the cave's entry, leant against a wall and slid down, catching my breath.

* * *

During my rest, I heard the dragging sounds of slippers on floor made of stone. I raised my head and saw Sans coming my way.

 **"you wanted to talk."**

"Yes," I said in between short breaths. "Uh, you have a minute to spare?"

 **"sure. i'll post** _ **bone**_ **my work break."**

"… You do that."

After my spare minute had passed, I pulled myself up and stalked out of the spider cave, Sans right next to me. We found a secluded spot a couple hundred of feet further and sat down next to each other.

 **"you pulled quite the number in there,"** Sans said, grinning widely. **"did it work at least?"**

"Yes. I don't know how it got here in the first place, though."

 **"you think there will be more of that coming?"**

I frowned. "My experience says yes. But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

For a minute, we both just sat there, quietly.

 **"so,"** he said finally.

"So," I repeated. "Mind telling me why you're friends with everyone _but_ the kid?"

 **"what did frisk tell you yesterday?"**

I looked pensively at his skull. "The kid said you'd kill them."

 **"nope. i won't."**

"Frisk seemed pretty sure of it."

 **"i still won't. what else did they say?"**

"I think I'm the one who deserves some answers here, not you," I said. I responded anyway.

"They told me they hurt you."

Sans didn't reply right away.

" **what else?"**

"No Sans, this is not how this is going to be," I told him. "I want to know what exactly happened back when all of you were in the Underground."

 **"why?"**

"Because the kid is freaking terrified, and it looks like I'm the only one who will step up and help him."

 **"terrified, huh?"** Sans chuckled, but it sounded off. **"that's hilarious."**

"What the hell did you do to them?" I shouted angrily, recalling Frisks panic attack.

 **"i was doing my job."**

"Your job?! What does your job include to make a child so scared of you that they can barely sleep? That they spend every waking moment to check their surroundings if you're there? What the HELL did you do?!"

 **"i judged them. fairly."**

This was getting _really_ frustrating.

"Frisk didn't even want me to confront you about this."

 **"and yet you're here."**

I snapped. "Because something has to be done!" I got up, gripping my staff harder. The magical runes on it started glowing. Sans looked up at me, but didn't move otherwise.

 **"where are you going with this?"** , he asked calmly **. "once you've killed me you won't get any answers either."**

I almost dropped the staff. "I'm not going to kill you! Where did you get that idea?!"

 **"so this light is just for show then."**

"No, I…" I forced myself to take a deep breath and sit down again. "This isn't going anywhere."

 **"i am lazy, yes."**

"Sans, I can't believe I'm saying this, but this is not the time for your jokes."

 **"there is always time for jokes. and i am not** _ **running**_ **out of them any time soon."**

I rolled my eyes at him. "Why are you making this so difficult? What's the harm in telling me? If your side of the story actually makes sense, then you can only win."

 **"yeah, well, i don't think it will make much sense to you."**

"I'm a wizard. Try me," I snarled.

Sans sighed and visibly gave up.

 **"ok then. you remember the monsters from before?"**

"Yes?"

 **"you know monster kid, tori, undyne, muffet and papy?"**

"Yes, what…"

 **"add about ninety more monsters to that."**

I stayed quiet, waiting for him to all end it in a pun involving a recipe of some sort.

 **"now picture all of them dead, crumbling into a pile of dust."**

Startled, I jerked away from him. "Wait, what?"

 **"well, more melting into a puddle of goo in undyne's case."**

"What are you talking about?!" I yelled. "They're all alive!"

Sans grinned up at me, the light-pupils gone once again.

 **"yeah. wanna hear a really funny joke?"**


	6. Chapter 6 - Easy Entrance

**Chapter 6: Easy Entrance**

Frisk

Frisk was having a hard time staying awake. After going to bed at 1 am and being too jittery to sleep right away, they only had managed to keep their eyes closed for about three hours until Toriel leaving the tent woke them up again. Muffet had sent her pet spider to deliver a message about the child who had gotten sick; apparently his health state had deteriorated. Frisk had wanted to accompany Toriel. They were genuinely worried about the boy, but they also didn't want to be left alone. Defenseless. In the dark.  
Toriel said no. She didn't want Frisk to be infected and also insisted on them getting at least a little more sleep. Of course, that was out of the question once the Queen had gone away. Frisk knew there was no way they would be able to get back to sleep then. So the child had stayed awake, sitting upright in the tent until morning broke. After that, they had gone off to the creek, hoping Undyne would be there. Frisk felt safer with her around. But when the kid arrived at the narrow, slowly flowing stream, they couldn't see anyone around.  
A short break wouldn't hurt, right? Just trying to relax a little at the waterside. If the dizziness would start creeping up, they could always just splash some of the icy water into their face. It was going to be fine.

It had been so long since they last had had a good sleep. Now, with the wizard here, things were bound to become more difficult. The monsters couldn't be hidden here forever. Most of them didn't want to, either. And it was understandable, wasn't it? All of them had a right to be here, right?

Frisk sighed. This had been a bad idea from the very start.

And now they were… so… tired…

They jolted awake again. No! Don't sleep! There's no saying what might happen! Stay vigilant. Watch out.

Don't fal …

* * *

*You open your eyes. What had happened? Weren't you falling to your death a second ago? You try to recreate your steps.

*You had been wandering around this big mountain. On your own. You had wanted to be alone. There had been a fight at the orphanage again. Sixth one in two days. A new record. You were sick of it.

*You had tripped over a root, and fallen into a deep chasm.

*You look to your side. You are lying atop of countless buttercup flowers, the size of peonies. Further on, there's only darkness. Are you dead? Was this where dead people go?

*Hundreds of meters above you, there's still the hole you apparently fell through. Streaks of sunlight shine through it onto your patch of flowers. It's going to be impossible to climb back up again. You cry for help. But nobody comes.

*You're not sure what to do now. You're starting to get nervous.

*You inspect your surroundings again. There's an unnatural shape, leading deeper into the cave. A gate. … what's left of it, at least. You get up and stagger towards it. There's nowhere else to go.

*You pass the gate, when something in front of your eyes starts moving. Another flower just popped out of the ground. It resembles the buttercup flowers from before, but it feels… weird. You approach it very carefully. You take a step back when it _turns_ towards you. _It has a face._ _Flowers don't do that._

"Howdy! I'm Flowey, Flowey the Flower."

*You're dumbstruck. The flower just talked to you. And it has the laziest name ever.

"You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha? Golly, you must be so confused."

*It grins at you.

"Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do."

*Flowey seems to be nice. You listen closely to what… he (?) has to say. Maybe you've gone crazy. But this… this feels all so real. Well, it probably also would if you'd actually gone nuts.

*You have just started to trust Flowey when everything suddenly turns grim. He attacks you with what looks like seeds. When they hit you, they leave cuts on your skin. Flowey insults you, swapping the friendly face from before with a nightmarish visage. You're afraid and try to back away, but the flower can _follow_ you. It has driven you into a corner.

*But before Flowey can hurt you any further, a round blast of fire the size of a basketball shoots by from the side and propels the evil flower out of the way onto the ground. Flowey lets out a disgruntled noise and slips back into the cavern floor. Fearfully, you look into the direction the fire assault had come from.

*A… female goat person?

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth..."

*You back away when she approaches you.

*The goat-person raises her hands pacifyingly. „Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs."

*She offers her hand to you. You're still uncertain, but she saved you before, right? She's probably really nice!

*You take her hand.

*Toriel starts guiding you through the inside of the cavern, which is way bigger than you would have ever imagined. Everything around you looks like the ruins of a once lively city. You're not sure where the light source to all of it is, but it doesn't matter much to you. It's magic, right?

*You come across some weird monsters, which initiate a fight - but apart from startling you at first, they don't appear threatening. Especially because Toriel stays beside you, giving them a harsh glare so that most of them go away on their own. You start to feel safe with her.

*At one point, Toriel explains some important rules of the Underground to you. In case she's not around for a while and the other creatures start a fight, there are certain actions you can take. You shouldn't fight back really, because the monsters don't attack you out of malicious intent. Some just want to get your attention and don't realize that they could hurt you with their attacks. Others genuinely believe that they are helping you with it. Most are just afraid of humans. Toriel recommends two strategies if you find yourself in a pickle and don't want to fight or run away. First, you can choose to act a certain way, like striking up a friendly conversation or imitating the monster, anything you can come up with that seems to fit.

*Second, and that one seems to be crucial – is showing mercy. It is a gesture you should try using whenever a monster doesn't react to your other actions. You stretch your arms along your sides and show the open palms of your hands. If you find another monster doing this, it is sparing you and wanting to be on good terms with you.

*Toriel wants you to try it out on a training dummy, which looks a little like a stuffed duck on a stick. There's really not much of a point talking to it, but Toriel looks so happy after you did it, you feel like you've accomplished something great. You stay for quite a while.

*But then you've reached the point where your curiosity is getting the better of you. You want to see _more_. You know there's more outside of the ruins, more monsters besides Toriel and the ones in the catacombs. The ruins are getting _boring_. You want to explore. This is an adventure!

*Toriel reacts coldly to you wanting to leave. Instead of letting you go easily, she attempts to destroy the only exit of the ruins leading deeper into the mountain cavern. She says it's for your own safety. That it's dangerous outside of the ruins. That you would get killed.

*You don't want to be imprisoned here. It can't be as horrible as she says, right? You just want to go out and… see.

*Toriel blocks the way. She tells you that if you want leave that badly, you will have to prove yourself against her. You will have to show her that you have the strength to survive. She attacks you. She looks really sad.

*You are shocked by her attacks and try to talk her out of it. But nothing comes to mind. Finally, you brace yourself and show mercy. You don't even evade her attacks now. You just stand there, sparing her. You hold back the tears when her attacks hit you. They hurt. You close your eyes. But you keep sparing her.

*The pain stops. You look up, confused. Toriel is kneeling in front of you, tears running down her face. She's healing you.

"I am deeply sorry, my child. It seems I can't stop you, can I? Just promise me… be safe."

*After she's done, she sends you out, closing the door behind you. Part of you wonders why she couldn't just come with you.

*Walking through the last corridor of the ruins, you almost yelp when Flowey emerges from the ground again. But the flower doesn't attack you this time. It only calls you a smartass for 'playing by your own rules.' It questions your resolve. What if you met someone that was actually dangerous and went after you?

*You don't answer, walk around the flower and leave it behind. The less you talk to this plant the better, right?

*You exit the Ruins. You almost immediately want to go back inside. It's **ice-cold** out here. There's a layer of snow, at least eight inches thick. It had been cold in the Ruins too, but it wasn't even comparable to this. Freezing, you take the first few steps into the new area. The door of the Ruins has led you to a narrow path going through a dark forest. How is there a forest here without sunlight? You have to admit though, the trees don't look normal. They're much darker than the ones you're used to. They're also completely straight. They make a stark contrast to the bright white of the snow.

*It's completely silent. There's nobody around as far as you can see. It's eerie.

*A couple hundred feet ahead of you is a bridge, crossing a deep chasm. You approach it. Someone built it, so it must lead somewhere, right?

*On your way to the bridge, you step on a lone branch that must have fallen from one of the trees. It doesn't break under your weight. You think nothing of it and finally reach the chasm.

*That's when you hear the branch snap. You're frozen in place. The eeriness of the place has crept into your skin and makes you unable to move, as you hear footsteps coming closer to you, until they come to a halt right behind you.

" **human."**

*The voice is on the deeper side, but you can't hear any signs of aggression.

" **don't you know how to greet a new pal?"**

*Whoever is talking to you, he doesn't seem to be dangerous. At least he hasn't attacked you yet.

" **turn around and shake my hand."**

*You turn around. There's a chubby skeleton in front of you, his hand outstretched, grinning harmlessly. He's small. Still taller than you, but only by a few inches.

*You don't want to be impolite, so you reach out and press his hand.

*You hear a loud, long-lasting farting noise.

*The skeleton chuckles.

" **heheh… the old whoopee-cushion in the hand trick. it's** _ **always**_ **funny."**

*You giggle a little. It _was_ kind of funny.

" **anyways, you're a human, right? that's hilarious** **."**

 ***** The skeleton puts his hand back into his pocket.

" **i'm sans. sans the skeleton."**

* * *

Harry

Instead of telling me his really funny joke, Sans backpedaled a little, saying that I probably needed to know a little more about Frisk's time in the Underground to get it in its entirety. When it comes to these kind of problems, patience is not one of my strongest traits, I admit. But hey, at least he was finally talking. Even if it took him ages to get to the point, me interrupting him would probably only make him want to keep me in the dark further on, just to annoy me.

" **i know the king gave you a** _ **real**_ **quick summary. he wasn't around for the most of it.** _ **i**_ **was,"** the skeleton began, staring up to the sky with an empty expression. I caught myself wondering once again how a face without skin could even be expressive in the first place, but shoved the nosey thought away for now.

" **you could say i kept an eye-socket out for the kid the second they came into our** **area. paps and i were sentries, supposed to capture any humans that came from the** **ruins, and take them to the capital. paps tried to catch the kid in his own way, not very** **successfully. i was too lazy to try."**

That last sentence activated my bullshit radar, but I kept quiet about it. It was harder than expected. It's unlike me to stay silent for so long. Also… capture humans and take them to the capital? I had an inkling that this had to do with what the king had been hiding from me.

" **i honestly grew to like the kid a lot. they played along with pap's puzzles and** **were a really good sport about everything. i admit, not every monster was as welcoming** **as us two, but in the end, the kid managed to make friends with every single one of** **them. after that, they went on to the waterfall area, where they had to duke it out with** **undyne."**

* * *

Frisk

"Seven."

*You are standing in front of a heap of rocks, towering over you with around fourteen foot. On top of the rocks stands Undyne, the monster who has been chasing you around the Waterfall area for quite some time now.

*Your legs are shaking, barely keeping you upright. This woman is terrifying. And she's hell-bent on fighting you.

"Seven human souls. With the power of seven souls we could take the surface back from humanity... and give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured."

*She sounds cold and stern. She… she really is planning on killing you.

"Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your soul... or I'll tear it from your body."

*You feel your heart racing. You shouldn't have left Snowdin Town, with Papyrus, with Sans, with everybody else… they had been nice. But your curiosity was like a curse, always driving you to go further.

"Seven. Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god. Six. That's how many we have collected thus far."

*Six... souls? They had killed six humans before you? Undyne personally? Or someone else? Flowey's words echo through your head. What now?

"Understand? Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far... I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started, long ago..."

*She pauses for a moment. "No, you know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE!?"

*She jumps down from the rock heap, makes a glowing blue spear out of nothing and flings it at you. You jump back, trip and fall down.

"Take the spear! I don't want to fight an enemy that's unarmed!", Undyne bellows.

*You struggle to get up, grab the spear and start defending yourself from more spears that come flying at you from different sides.

*The thing is – they are visible long before they can reach you. You're starting to feel like maybe Undyne doesn't really want to kill you. However, the fighting makes her heated. She shouts our a cry of combat and the spears are getting harder to dodge, harder to deflect – until they start hitting you.

*It hurts. It hurts so much. You deflect another one, but the next two spears impale you right where you stand.

*You feel your life slipping away.

*You are scared.

*Your vision is blurry. Your skin is getting cold. You stagger backwards and fall down.

*Everything fades to black.

*No. No, no, no, no, no! You can't die! You don't want to die! It can't end like this!

*You are clinging onto your life. And somewhere, in there… you sense something strange. It's like there's a gap in front of you, a gap leading somewhere. You can feel it. This can save you. You reach out, determined to stay alive. You try to grab into the pit, and you're hauled into the gaping hole. Everything starts spinning, like you're on a funfair ride. You feel your consciousness returning. You open your eyes.

*You're back. Back at the Waterfall. In front of Undyne, who is back up on top of the rocks. She repeats the same thing she had told you before, word by word.

"What is going on?" You whisper.

*Out of nowhere, an eerily quiet, unsettling voice _answers_.

"Don't you get it? You turned back time."

*You whirl around, staring at… nothing. Who was that?!

"What do you mean? I'm you, you _dummy_."

*But… but that doesn't make any sense! You're you, who… how…

"I'm a part of you, don't worry. The analyzing, calm part. That's why you're freaking out so much. Whoo boy, relax a little. And better prepare yourself, Undyne is almost finished with her monologue. We don't want to die again, do we?"

*Full of doubt, you turn back to Undyne. Whoever is in your head, they are right. You don't want to die again. But… you can't imagine beating her. How are you supposed to do this?

"Take her on, for now. Maybe there'll be an opportunity to slip by her and run off to somewhere safe."

*Good idea.

*You catch the spear Undyne passes to you and earn a pleased grin from her. Then you start dodging the attacks again, and take the first opportunity you get to flee. She pursues you, shouting angrily.

*You catch yourself asking the voice from before: "Where to?! Back to Snowdin Town?"  
"No, that's a dead end. Try the other way."

"But I don't know what's there!"

"If you don't hurry up and try, you won't ever know."

*Your inner conversation is interrupted when Undyne traps you into a corner. You repeat the spiel from before and end up running away again. She is really furious now.

*You feel your surroundings getting warmer with every step you take.

"Perfect. Keep running."

"What? Why?"

"She's a fish. And she's wearing heavy, metallic armor. If it gets hot enough, maybe she'll get exhausted and won't be able to fight you anymore."

*You keep on sprinting, hearing Undyne closing up behind you. You're heart feels like it's going to burst out your chest, your eyes tear up. Your insides are burning.

*You pass a sign on a wall that reads "Welcome to Hotland."

"Good. We're on the right way."

* * *

Harry

" **i have to give frisk one thing – the kid is tough. managed to run from undyne up to the hotlands. undyne hadn't really thought it through and collapsed on a bridge, with the lava stream about eight hundred feet below her."**

What the… lava?

" **and frisk? stepped up to the next water dispenser and then splashed a cup over undyne's face so she wouldn't dry out. really good kid. next thing i know, they've become friends by burning undyne's house down."**

"I'm still stuck at the lava part."

" **why? that a 'hot topic' for you?"**

I snorted. "Yeah. I'm 'burning' with curiosity."

" **heh. good one."**

* * *

Frisk

"That was kinda fun."

*The calm part of you sounds satisfied. You're not too sure about the result of cooking practice with Undyne. Her house, which resembles the top half of a monster-fish head, is engulfed in flames. And it looks like it's crying. Everybody else has left, but you're still standing there, watching it burn down. You're paying your respects.

"Don't be so gloomy. I'm pretty sure this is not the first time Undyne has made herself homeless this way. She's going to be fine."

*You're not worried about Undyne. You're mourning the house. It had been a cool house.

"Hah! True. To be honest, you've forgiven her pretty quickly for killing you an hour ago."

*You shudder at the memory of it. "I don't think she really meant to, she just overdid it."

"You _know_ that's not true, not entirely. We know now what the deal with getting us to the capital is. The king wants our soul to break down the barrier and let his people live freely on the surface. Undyne just wanted to spare him from having to kill you by himself."

*You nod, brooding.

"You're not really listening to me, are you?" Your other part chimes in.

"Oh, uh… sorry."

*The voice giggles. "Don't be. Apologizing to yourself takes you one step up on the coocoo-ladder. I know what's going on in your head."

"How was I able to save myself back then?"

"You're asking _me_?"

*You nod. The voice snorts.

"Makes sense, I should know _so much more_ than you do. Now, if I were to take a wild guess… it's probably connected to this place. This whole setting is just so surreal, and it's starting to mess with you. I'm pretty sure that's the reason for… well, 'me'. I'm curious." The voice has a sound to it that makes your insides tingle uncomfortably. "You think you can do it again? If yes, we've found a way to cheat death. That'd be really cool, right?"

*You close your eyes for a second. The dimensional gap is still there, closer than before. You know you could use it again, and would pop up elsewhere in the Waterfall area. As excited as it makes you feel, a nagging thought tells you that you want to avoid rewinding time again. There's something about it that's just… not right.

"Oh, come on! It would be hilarious for playing pranks on people. They should always react the same way, right? So you would be able to predict what they will do."

*It's still not right.

"Fine. Spoilsport."

"I thought you were my analyzing and calm part?"

"It's not so clean-cut. Okay, so… what now?"

*You ponder about it for a minute. The Waterfall area has been explored in its entirety, and you've only had a peek at the Hotlands yet. The heat back there is harsh, but bearable. However, going through the Hotlands would take you closer to the capital, and therefore closer to the king. You're still not sure about him. Papyrus and Undyne agreed on Asgore being a soft-hearted fuzzball, but… there was still the fact that he had killed six people. Six humans. That didn't make him sound all that soft-hearted.

"Why do you care?"

*Startled, you look up, attempting to somehow _look at_ the voice in your head. "What?"

"A shame about the other six people, but even if he's a human-murdering maniac – what's it to you? I just said it, we can cheat death. We can come back all we want. That nullifies any kind of danger."

*You're overwhelmed at the sudden notion of _power_.

"We could even _kill him_ , if he really poses such a threat. But going by how quickly Undyne changed her mind about you, I can take a guess and say that it'll take a few sentences and he'll invite you over for tea or something. Believe in yourself. The way you are now, we could literally do _anything_ and wouldn't have to face any consequences. Cool, huh?"

*A chill runs down your spine. The other you is right, but… somehow, this is making you even _more_ uneasy.

"He's the king. We'll have to deal with him sooner or later anyways. Why don't we just go in and see what happens?" The voice says, more softly this time. "It's going to be okay. Besides, don't you want to see all of the Underground? You've had so much fun until now, right? It was scary sometimes, yes, but it was exciting. Don't you want to go on?"

*You do. With a final glance at the burning house, you turn away and set off towards the Hotlands. Besides being the warmest place in the Underground, it also seems to be the technology-haven of the monster world. It's like one giant industrial complex. What does it produce? You're not sure.

*In the midst of a running laboratory placed in the area, you meet the Royal Scientist, Alphys. She's a thickset yellow lizard with buckteeth and dorky glasses. Sure, why not. At this point this is hardly the strangest creature you have met down here.

"Neeeeerrrd." That's all your analyzing part has to say about her.

*Alphys is socially awkward, but other than everyone else you've met since leaving the Ruins, she genuinely intends to help you. She's the one that manages the Hotlands, so she really knows her way around. The only real problem occurs when Mettaton, a robot that she had built, gets in your way.

*You manage to shut him off in the end, without destroying him. Alphys is very grateful for that and actually manages to get some self-confidence out of aiding you. When you reach the ends of the Hotlands, an elevator is waiting for you; to take you upwards to the castle grounds. You take a deep breath and step in.

* * *

Harry

" **frisk just kept on going. they went through the hotlands** _ **easily**_ **. the kid wanted to meet asgore. so i did my job and cut them off right before they could enter the castle."**

I leant forward. Was he _finally_ going to get to the point?

 **"but they hadn't done anything wrong, so i let them through. i kinda rooted for** **the kid. they're a nice kid."**

My left eye twitched, annoyed. This was making less sense by the minute. Nothing he had told me was explaining the antipathy he had for the kid, nor Frisk's fearful attitude. It didn't feel like a joke either, though.

Sans would've fit in with some of the faeries perfectly, that was the only thing I had been able to reaffirm by listening to him. First off, I was sure he wasn't lying to me. Secondly, he was talking a lot, and used that to obscure any concrete negative details that might set me off in a direction he didn't want me to go. The worst thing he had said about the other monsters was that they 'hadn't been as nice as Papyrus or him.' He was better at this kind of thing than the king, by a long shot.

Unfortunately for him, thanks to much undesired experience I was used to that kind of talk, more than I wanted to be. Even more unfortunately for him, it was getting on my nerves, because I knew exactly what these tactics were used for.

You shouldn't anger a wizard. We've got a bad temper, at least a little power to back it up, and can hold a grudge for a really, _really_ long time.

 **"thing is, we all thought that frisk would want to leave the underground, going** **through the barrier. but a human soul isn't strong enough on its own. you'd need the** **strength equivalent to a human soul and a strong monster soul to break through the** **seal. the barrier won't go down completely that way, though. only opens a small passage."**

My eyes narrowed. Like I said, Sans had been very good at avoiding certain topics. What exactly he had meant by 'duking it out with Undyne,' for example. If the fish-warrior woman actually challenged a small, defenseless child to a fight, this was subtracting quite a few points for her on my list. And all that talk before, about having the duty to take the kid to the capital… it didn't really sound like they would have been invited to tea. I keep a no-tolerance policy when it comes to people who hurt children. Sue me, but I think that's not a bad guideline to follow.

 **"so if frisk would try to leave, they would have to defeat asgore, take his soul** **and go. the king wasn't all that up to fighting, but couldn't see any alternative. so he got** **in their way."**

I gritted my teeth. There we go.


	7. Chapter 7 - Have Mercy

**Chapter 7: Have Mercy**

Frisk

*You stand in front of the Barrier. The whole room is pulsating, with waves of white and black running through the walls, the ceiling, even the floor.

"Ooh, trippy." Your analyzing part sounds amused. They've been in high spirits for quite some time now. *You look ahead.

*The king looks really sad. But you've seen the coffins in the backroom. All seven of them, neatly placed side by side. One of them is still empty. It has been prepared for you. It makes you angry. What have you ever done to him to deserve this?

"Let's fight him then. Attack back. He's not going to spare us. He won't react to you sparing him."

*You grip the handle of the frying pan you had found earlier. It's not a great weapon, but better than nothing. And the king is pretty slow. He's holding a giant trident, which looks pretty heavy. With his other hand, he can conjure up fire, just like Toriel. But even with this arsenal, as soon as he throws a fire blast in your direction, you notice how he's not going after you full-heartedly. It's relatively easy to dodge. The voice assumes the role as your tactician.

"Use your size to your benefit. He's slower than you. Stay close to the ground, it'll make him exhausted faster. The trident makes it hard to come closer. Make him lose that first. Break his fingers, so he can't hold it anymore. … What? It's the best way to go at this, don't look so horrified."

*You skid to Asgore's side, turn swiftly and slam the pan against the hand that holds the trident with all the force you can muster up. Asgore grunts in pain, his grip on the trident loosens. You let yourself fall down on your hands and feet to avoid a fireball, roll to the side, push yourself back up and deflect another fireball with the back of the pan. You launch yourself against the giant goat-man again, dodge his free hand and whack the handle of the pan between the knuckles of the king's hand in full force. It doesn't crack, but Asgore yelps out anyway. The trident falls to the side, clattering on the ground.

"Good. Now it'll be easier to get close without becoming a shish kebab."

*You jump back again, thinking about what to do next. Your heart is racing, bumping hard against your chest. This is exciting. This is horrifying.

*The king still looks sorrowful. He summons a row of fireballs and flings them at you. You duck the first few, and jump out of the way of the rest.

"Watch out!"

*You feel something scorching hot hit your back. You stagger forward, crying out in agony. You whirl around, tightening your grip on the pan handle. This fire is different. It's following you. You bolt away, trying to find a way to lose them. You jump and slide over the ground, passing Asgore and using him as a shield against the fire. Asgore has them disappear before they can damage him, but you use his moment of distraction and kick into his popliteal.

*Asgore grunts again, turns around and gets a hold of your ankle. He pulls you up, you dangle in front of his face. He raises his free hand to hit you with another fire blast, but he hesitates. You do not. With a desperate shout, you swing forward and place the pan squarely into his face. You let go of the pan, and grab Asgore by the horns instead, pulling your ankle out of his grip. With another shout, you use the momentum you have to slam your feet at Asgore's nape. You slide down his back and tear at his cape, strangling him. Asgore tumbles back and you barely evade him when he falls to the ground. You scrap by and retrieve your pan.

*You're trembling all over your body. Adrenalin is pumping through your veins. This is taking all the strength you have.

*Asgore is coughing loudly. He fiddles with the buckle of his cape, trying to open it.

"Run in there while he's still on the ground. Bash his face in!"

*Your skin runs cold. What?

"You're not gonna make a second round. Do it now, or we'll have to reset this."

*You hesitate. He's defenseless. You can't just do that.

"… Are you serious?"

*You are. You won't do it. Not like this.

*Asgore has gone back up, but he's down on one knee, the one you didn't kick in. He doesn't attack.

*His eyes are full of sorrow when he starts talking.

"Ah… So that is how it is."

*He pauses for a while, looking down. "I remember the day after my son died."

*The voice tsks, unsatisfied. "What's this all of a sudden? Is he stalling for time now? Or does he want your pity so you won't kill him?"

*You recall the story of Asgore's son, Prince Asriel. Other monsters had told it to you on the way to the castle. Asriel had found the first human to ever fall into the Underground after the seal had been created. He had helped the human child, who must have been around your own age, and brought them to the castle. Over time, the two of them had grown to be as close as siblings, with King Asgore and the Queen treating the human child as their own.

*But then the human fell ill. They were dying. The child wished to see the flowers of their human village on the surface one last time, but there was nothing the monsters could do to help them. Soon after, the human died, leaving the young prince to grieve. In his sorrow, Asriel absorbed the human soul and transformed into an extremely strong being. With this power, Asriel could cross the Barrier. He took the corpse of his sibling and tried to carry it to the human village. Mistaken as the murderer of the human child, Asriel was attacked by the humans. He didn't defend himself even once, and as a result he succumbed to his injuries when he arrived back at the castle gardens.

*Just like that, the king and the queen had lost two children in one night.

"The entire underground was devoid of hope," Asgore muttered. "The future had once again been taken from us by the humans. In a fit of anger, I declared war."

"What a wise king," the voice comments coldly.

*You tell it to stop.

*The king continues speaking. "I said that I would destroy any human that came here."

*The voice laughs dryly. „Ha. Haha. So basically punish poor lost people for something they didn't do. What a great guy."

*You tell it to be quiet.

*The king grits his teeth in shame. „I would use their souls to become strong enough, and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity, and let monsters rule the surface. In peace."

*The voice sneers. "Great plan. Also: rule the surface in peace. Sure, easy to keep peace if all of your enemies are dead. Flawless logic, right there. Shame we're not going to play along with his genocidal rage issues."

*You tell the voice to shut it. Asgore doesn't notice your internal dispute. "Soon, the people's hopes returned. My wife, however, became disgusted with my actions. She left this place, never to be seen again."

"At least _one_ _of them_ has a brain, good to know. Yes, I know, I know. I'll keep quiet, don't be so grumpy."

*The king looks up at you in despair. "Truthfully... I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope... I cannot take this any longer."

*His voice starts cracking. "I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child. Please... Young one..."

*He gestures you to come nearer. You step closer to him. He's no longer a threat, you can feel it. Asgore grasps your free hand with his giant paws. "This war has gone on long enough. You have the power... Take my soul, and leave this cursed place."

"Now he's _asking_ you to mercy-kill him. Funny how that goes."

*You take a step back. You let go of the frying pan. It makes a loud 'clang' when it hits the ground. You stretch out both of your arms to your sides, showing the open palms of your hands.

*You spare Asgore.

"… say what now?"

*The king looks up at you in disbelief. "After everything I have done to hurt you... you choose to spare me?"

"… you do you, I guess," the voice mutters.

*You continue to spare Asgore.

*The king manages to smile at you. "Human, I promise you. For as long as you remain here, my wife and I will take care of you as best we can. We can sit in the living room, telling stories... Eating butterscotch pie... We could be like... Like a family..."  
*He's crying. You reach out to pat him on the shoulder, not sure what to do.

*But before you can touch him, a row of plant-seeds appear and cut into the king's neck, one by one, deeper and deeper. The king stares at you, wide-eyed, in shock. Then he bursts into countless specks of dust. His soul is floating in front of you, a glowing white light.

*Another seed tears through it, making the soul shatter into a million pieces. The light is gone. And Flowey emerges from the ground.

*The flower sneers at you.

"You _idiot_. You haven't learned a thing."

*An array of six colorful lights approach you both. You recognize them as souls. Are those the souls the king had extracted from the previous humans?

"Uh… maybe run now," the voice suggests. "I don't see this going well for us."

*Flowey's face starts melting. "In this world… it's kill or be killed." He cackles, completely insane.

"Reset! Quickly!"

*Flowey absorbs the human souls. Everything goes black.

*When you come to, there's nothing there. Nobody. Nothing. Just a wide, empty, black void. You call for help. But nobody comes.

*You close your eyes and search frantically for the gap to let you reset.

*It isn't there anymore.

*Instead, Flowey's face appears in your mental image. You shriek and open your eyes. But he's there as well.

"Howdy! It's me, Flowey. Flowey the Flower!"

*You back away. But the distance to the face stays the same.

"I owe you a huge thanks. You really did a number on that old fool. Without you, I never could have gotten past him."

*The flower changes its face to Asgore's. "But now, with your help… He's _dead._ "

*His face changes again, into a grim visage. "And I've got the human souls!"

*He switches back to his regular face. "Boy! I've been empty for so long… it feels great to have a soul inside me again." He grins at you sinisterly. "Aww, are you feeling left out? Don't worry. You'll join them soon enough. Then… I'll become like a god. And show everyone… what the real meaning of this world is!"

*He cackles maniacally. And forth comes a monstrosity that almost makes you wet yourself.

*First of all, it is _huge._ Several times bigger than you. Second, it's not a flower anymore, that's for sure. It has a computer screen in the middle, displaying a face. The computer has multiple tubes coming out of it and leading back to it, forming the flower petals. At the sides are thick vines with thorns, multiple times bigger than you, as its arms. And then there's… no. You don't have the words to describe it.

*You turn around and try to run. You can't fight this… thing! You can't reset! You don't want to die!

*But you can't seem to get away from this… this horror thing! It feels like a nightmare.

*Slowly but surely, your legs give out. You fall to your knees and look behind you, tears running over your face. The nightmare is still there, grinning at you. You haven't made an inch of progress.

"Aww, look at you. Scared stiff. But still holding onto your soul, I see. Let's change that, shall we?"

*It opens its horrid maw and a laser beam shoots out of it, decimating you on the spot. It burns you away, bit by bit. You scream. You cry. But nobody comes. There's nobody to help you. You feel your body being blown away. But your conscious still stays.

*Flowey laughs. "Come now, don't bore me. I won't let you go that easily. Give me a fight! Until you see how _pointless_ it all is."

* _Flowey resets_. You are standing in front of the nightmarish creature once again. You cry out in anguish. You can't think clearly. The nightmare kills you again.

*This is hell.

* * *

*At some point, you can't quite remember how many times you've been killed and brought back to Flowey's amusement. Your body is sore. Your mind is numb. The only thing left is… anger. This twisted, callous _thing_ is playing around with you.

*Flowey wants a fight?

*He can get it.

*Again, you stand before the nightmarish creature. It starts to look a little bored. But then it notices your expression.

"Ooooh. So can we finally get started? You done curling up and dying over and over again?" It chuckles. "Took you long enough."

*You call out in frustration and charge at the ex-flower like a maniac. There's not much left of you, other than sheer fury and the will to survive. You are determined to break this nightmare down, right in the middle, stomp it to the ground and burn its remains. Just like it has done with you. It will not have its way with you.

*It absolutely has its way with you. Even though you are able to detect some sort of pattern to its attacks, it just resets to any given point in time it wants to, setting you right in front of its laser beams, or other range of attacks.

*You cry out again.

*You get a _reply_. One of the souls Flowey has absorbed wriggles its way out of the nightmarish monster and flies over to you. Is it reacting to your soul?

*The soul-light heals your wounds and forms a shield around you. New hope flickers up in you. You call out again. And again.

"What are you doing?! Stop it! Stop it now!" Flowey screeches. One by one, the human souls escape from him, joining your side.

"No! NO! This can't be happening!" The nightmare squirms around. "You… YOU…"

*All of a sudden, it stops. And grins at you again. And _just_ _resets_.

"You _idiot_. Did you _really_ think you could defeat me?! I am a GOD of this world now! Call for help, I dare you! 'Mommy! Daddy! Somebody, help!'"

*It sounds bitter. "See what good it does you."

*You call for help. But nobody comes.

*Flowey snickers. "Boy! What a shame! Nobody else is gonna get to see you die!"

*He surrounds you with the seeds, sharp as razorblades. They whirl around you like a hurricane and close in on you while you hear the cackling of the mad flower. You close your eyes and prepare to die.

*But the pain doesn't come. You peek at your surroundings. The seed-bullets are gone.

*Flowey looks irritated. "What?! How'd you… Well, I'll just…"

*Its voice grows anxious. "Wh-where are my powers? The souls? What are they doing?!"

*The lights tear out of the body once again, circling Flowey, bonding together, building up a field of pulsing energy.

*The mad flower's voice turns ear-numbingly loud. "No! NO! You can't do that! You're supposed to obey me! Stop! STOP IT!"

*The souls reduce the place among them, and the energy waves throw you down to your knees. Little sparks of lightning jump from one to another, the bonds between the single souls emit heat, turning the air white.

*You close your eyes as the light grows and consumes the grotesque flower-mutant. For a second, everything is so bright that it hurts to see. Then, the light subsides. You blink a few times, trying to get used to the recurring dimness of the place.

*In front of you is Flowey, in his original, small buttercup flower form. His head is bent, he's beaten.

*You step closer, imagining how to tear the disgusting weed apart, fiber by fiber. Paying back everything he's done to you, every single ounce of pain. You reach for the flower, planning to rip it out of the ground – when suddenly your anger starts dying down.

*Kill him? What for? He's lost already.

*But wouldn't it be so refreshing?

*You stare at the kinked plant.

*No. Not really.

*You feel your emotions returning. The despair from earlier turns into relief. The fear into calm. You're… tired. Really tired. You want to go back to the Ruins, back to Toriel, sleep through the week and then hang out at the house of the skeleton brothers in Snowdin Town.

*You crouch down in front of Flowey. He doesn't react to you. He's completely crushed.

*Your anger turns into a mix of disgust and… pity. You groan reluctantly, stretching out both of your arms to your sides, showing the open palms of your hands.

*You spare Flowey. He glances at you resentfully.

"What are you doing?" He smirks. "Do you really think I've learned _anything_ from this? Just kill me already."

*You continue sparing the annoying mad plant.

*It's irritated. "If you let me go, I'll come back. I'll kill you. I'll kill everyone you love."

*The souls are gone. The flower is weak. You realize he's just trying to prove his point, that it always comes down to killing or being killed. You hold back a sneer. Oh no. No. He won't get his way.

*You keep a straight face and keep sparing him. For a while, the flower just stares at you in disbelief.

"Why?" He sounds so broken. It strikes you somewhere in your heart. The gloating feeling from before makes way for a sort of hesitant empathy.

*Flowey's voice cracks. "Why are you being so nice to me? I can't understand. I… I can't understand!"

*You try to smile at him, genuinely. The flower jerks away, and slips into the ground. He has run away.

"You're such a softie."

*You jump up, and look around, startled. Only to realize that it's the voice in your head again.

"Where were you? I needed you against Flowey," you grumble.

"Hey, I was there. I mean, where else could I even be? You were just so panicky that nothing I said came through to you. You completely shut off. Turned out well in the end anyways, right?"

"But what do we do now? The king is dead. The human souls are gone. The Barrier is still up." You feel anxiety grip your heart with an icy claw. "What if they blame me for Asgore's death? Nobody else was here, how do I explain this?"

*You're tearing up, feeling helpless. This is just too much.

"Uhm…"

*It's not your head-voice.

*You spin around, staring wildly at whatever sneaked up on you. Flowey is back. He's popped up from the ground, and looks shameful.

"You know… I've been thinking. Maybe, if it's you, you could… change all of this."

*You eye him up doubtfully. "What do you mean?"

*Flowey gives you a sad smile. "I owe you. And I don't like that. So I'll tell you how to go on."

"Don't trust him," your inner voice declares. "I hope that's obvious."

*You squint your eyes at the flower. "Okay, tell me."

*Your other part sounds frustrated. "You can't be serious with this! Fine, I give up. Make your plans alone."

"Now that I've… lost, you should be able to reset time again," Flowey says. "So go back to the point before you fought against Asgore and then… you remember the elevator in Alphys's lab?"

*You nod slowly. You didn't get to use it, but you remember it being there.

"Take it and choose the deepest level. There's an older, abandoned laboratory down there. Alphys used to work there until… until… well. You'll find some more answers as to how to solve all of this mess."

*Your inner voice chimes in again. "Uhm, you know, forget making your plans alone. You _do_ notice how this guy is being purposefully vague, right? If he knows that there's something useful down there, he also knows _what_ it is. So you taking a trip down there is completely unnecessary! It's a trap. Please don't just go along with what this guy says."

*You close your eyes, immediately recognizing the gaping hole that can take you back.

"You _do_ know that this will bring the human souls back? And that this creep can just take all of them again? Please, don't be so stupid."

*You reach out, into the dimensional gap. You hear your inner voice sigh. "Fine. Apparently, we _are_ this stupid. Don't complain to me when this guy stabs us in the back."


	8. Chapter 8 - Forgiveness -Can You Imagine

**Chapter 8: Forgiveness – Can You Imagine?**

Frisk

*You're not entirely sure why you follow Flowey's advice. The biggest factor has been your damned curiosity that hasn't left you since you entered the Underground. Flowey has hinted at a mystery that needed to be uncovered. And you want to find out. But that's not everything. A part of you… believes that Flowey intends to do good by sending you down into this laboratory.

*You exit the elevator, and find… a dimly lit, tiled corridor. Fog is curling along the walls and the floor, making it hard to see. There's only silence. Nobody but you is here. The air is cold, damp and musty. You shiver as a draft catches you by the nape and climbs down your spine. It feels like someone is breathing down your neck.

*You don't want to be here anymore.

"Really now? Then why didn't you ask Alphys to come here with you?" The other you is clearly miffed, but you still take relief out of its presence. "If it's her old lab, she should know her way around, right? Even better, you could have just _asked her_ what's down here, instead of exploring it on your own. But nooo."

*Your voice echoes through the lone corridor as you reply out loud. "I don't think it's that easy."

"Of course it isn't, if you don't even try. Anyways, we're here now. Might as well snoop around a little."

*Carefully, you move forward, deeper into the lab. Now that your ears have accustomed to the eerie quiet, you can make out a couple of sounds. There's the monotonous whirring of a power regulator. Drops of water falling out of a leaky faucet. And the sound of something slimy crawling through the darkness.

"Would you look at that. We're not alone after all."

*You beg your inner voice to be quiet.

"Why so serious?" The voice giggles a little for some reason. "You literally just died multiple times against that flower freak. You can turn back time. What's there to be afraid of?"

*It's still so… creepy. This place is devoid of any hope, light, or positivity. Only a lingering atmosphere of death and despair remain. It's just suffocating.

*A hint of light flashes into your sight from the side. You look at the wall. There's a small screen attached to the tiles, spelling out words. You get closer and start reading them.

'This is it. Time to do what the King has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all.'

"You think those are notes Alphys left behind?" Your other part doesn't sound as interested as it means to.

*You nod, squinting your eyes and finding the next note board a few steps further.

'The barrier can only be brought down with soul power. Unfortunately, this power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create it, we will have to use what we have now: the souls of monsters. But doing so would destroy both host and soul. If only I could make a monster's soul last...'

"Yay, more pseudo-science."

"Where's the next one?" You ask out loud. Again, your voice echoes through the empty corridors and makes your hair stand up.

"Probably further in. You realize that we could _still_ just go back and ask the lizard with the Sc.D.?"

"I don't think she would want to talk about all of this," you mutter pensively. "She must have left this place for a reason. She feels embarrassed easily, I don't think she'd tell us everything."

"What if that reason was just the poor working conditions?"

*You roll your eyes at yourself and walk on.

*During your escapade through the old lab, you come across a room that has multiple wall fans. At the end of the room is a switch to turn them on. You press the switch, activating all of the fans simultaneously. The fog that had been present all this time gets sucked out of the corridors, and rewards you with a clearer view – a view on a gooey ball of slime with a face on it, floating in the air, smiling at you.

*You shriek and jump backwards, hitting the wall with your spine.

*The ball of goo starts leaking its sludgy innards, dripping onto the floor, reforming into a new shape. A shape vaguely resembling a dog, two feet taller than you. With six legs and a hole at the spot where the face should be. It creeps up to you. You hear someone scream in fear.

"Stop crying and do something about it."

*Your trembling subsides a little. "What _is_ this thing?!"

"Call me a smartass, but it's a monster in my eyes."

*The monster leaves part of its gooey substance behind, everywhere it goes. It makes sounds resembling heavy furniture being pushed around on rough ground. It draws nearer. You shiver and press your body against the tiled wall behind you. The monster tilts its head.

"I think it's confused. Come on, let's touch it."

"Are you mad?!" You shout out loud. The monster makes a howling noise, backing away.

"Not more than you are. And part of you obviously wants to touch it, otherwise I wouldn't."

*You scowl at the image of it. "It's so yucky."

"Aw, that's uncalled for. You're gonna hurt its feelings."

*With shivering fingers, you stretch out your hand and step up to the dog-shaped blob. It wags all three tails.

*You touch the gooey liquid that makes up its skin. It squishes through your fingers and forms a transparent coating around your hand. Startled, you pull your arm away. The monster flecks further liquid through its face-hole. It lowers its head and presses it against your shoulder, howling quietly, dripping parts of itself all over your clothes. You pet it a little, unsure of what to do.

*After a few moments, the monster turns around and wobbles away, until it disappears in the air.

*You can't help but feel a little sad.

"Weird. Okay, let's go and find the rest of Alphys's notes."

*You nod and leave the room.

*After you've read all of the other notes you could find, you have a hard time not tearing up. While your search has been going, you have met other strange monsters, shaped out of the same gooey substance as the dog monster before, all of them resembling different monsters you've encountered in and around Snowdin, the Waterfall area and the Hotlands. And now you know what they are.

*Alphys had tried to make monster souls persistent after a monster's death by extracting something from the human souls Asgore had gathered up until then, and injecting this extract into the souls of monsters who were close to death. She had hoped that she could work with those prepared monster souls, once the monster had turned to dust. However, those monsters didn't die. They even woke up at one point. Alphys couldn't achieve her initial goal of attaining monster souls to tear down the Barrier, but she could tell the families of those monsters that their lost ones had woken up and would soon be able to live with them again. Her notes changed after that entry. The monster souls couldn't take the extract of the human souls inside of them, and started to melt down. Which in turn made the monsters melt down, too. Desperate to stay alive, the monsters started to fuse with each other, creating those weird, gooey creatures in this lab. Alphys at that point had no clue what to do or what to say to the families of those monsters. She kept it a secret and shut down the lab, leaving all of the molted-together monsters in it.

*Aside from that, Alphys had a separate experiment running. Her thought-process was that she would need a vessel to wield the monster souls with once she would have been able to make the souls persist after their hosts' death. A monster can't absorb the souls of other monsters, as a human can't absorb a human soul. So she chose something that was neither human nor monster.

*Alphys chose a flower. A special flower. A golden flower growing in the palace garden, that had come from the outside world. It had appeared just before the queen had left the castle. Alphys took it and injected the extract from the human soul into it as well. Experiments on it didn't seem to work very well. And then, someday…

*The flower was gone.

"Uh… isn't the palace garden the place where…"

*You nod.

"So Flowey is…"

*Yes.

"Hm. So Alphys is to blame for us dying multiple times?"

*You shake your head. "Let's just go."

*You exit the old lab.

* * *

"… What did I tell you. What. Did. I. Freaking. Tell. You."

"Yes. I know." You grit your teeth.

"You owe us an apology when we get through this."

*Flowey has the souls again. When you confronted Asgore for the second time, Toriel jumped in. Apparently your detour to the old lab had given her enough time to reach the Barrier after she had decided that it just wasn't right to have you make that journey on your own. Like she did back in the beginning with Flowey, she threw a fireball against the King, insulting him and making sure you were okay. As you had figured out by then, Toriel had been the Queen of the Underground and Asgore's wife – but her disdain against her ex-husband was more than noticeable. A moment later, Undyne joined the group, ending up consoling a heartbroken, rejected Asgore. Followed by Alphys, Papyrus, and lastly, Sans. All of them had come to stop the fight between you and Asgore, a fight that you honestly didn't even want to have in the first place. But you kept quiet. Left them their moment.

*That's when Flowey attacked. He had taken the moment of chaos to retrieve the human souls. And now he had taken everyone but you hostage. Toriel, Asgore, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys – all of them tied by thick vines with thorns. They were in pain.

*And your inner self was using that situation to act smug.

"Oh, and would you look at that. We can't reset anymore. Who would've thought. Certainly not _me_."

" _Yes_ , I get it," you mutter, frustrated.

"Any great ideas? Wanna play errand boy for this plant again? Maybe he'll be nice _this time_ , you never know."

*Flowey, who had been laughing maniacally up to this point, stops and looks at you, irritated.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Not you." You say.

"Wow. Clever," your inner voice remarks.

"Then let's change that, shall we?" Flowey growls. "Just so you know… it's not just these six I've got. I've taken the soul of _every single monster_ down here, to stock up for the big ones."

"Impressive. The gooey ones too? Then he's a hell of a lot faster than he looks."

"Shut up!" You yell. Flowey smirks, thinking you meant him.

"Then let's go right to the fighting, shall we?" He cackles, shooting his razor-sharp seeds. They come flying at you with horrid speed. You put your arms up to block the bullets.

*But they don't hit you. You peek through the gap between your arms and see Toriel's fireballs burning down the seeds. She's still in Flowey's grasp, but she's defending you.

"Do not be afraid, my child," she says, her voice drained. "No matter what happens… we will always be there to protect you!"

*Flowey shouts out in frustration and shoots another two salves at you. A spear appears out of nowhere and impales one of them, shattering alongside the seeds. On your other side, a bone emerges from the ground and the seeds slam against it uselessly.

"Hey! Human! If you got past me, you can do anything!" Undyne bellows, grinning at you.

"THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO WHAT I WOULD DO… BELIEVE IN YOU!"

*Sans chuckles. **"huh? you haven't beaten this guy yet? come on, this weirdo's got nothin' on you."**

*A third time, Flowey attacks you. And for the third time, you are saved. An electric field shoots up in front of you, and a wall of fire is rising from the ground next to you, bringing Flowey's attacks down once again.

"Technically, it's impossible for you to beat him," Alphys mutters. "B-but… Somehow, I know you can do it!"

"Human." Asgore says. "For the future of humans and monsters… you have to stay determined!"

"Weird. Wasn't the plant stronger before?" The other you mumbles. "Wait for it, he's going to call all of us idiots again and then actually start the fight. That's _so_ him."

"This can't be happening…" Flowey wails meekly. "You… you…"

"Brace yourself," the other voice says calmly.

*Flowey's face snaps back into his smug grin. "I can't believe you're all so _stupid_."

"Ha! I knew it. Cheeky bastard."

*The flower starts laughing. "Let's see how you fare against my _true form_!"

*He's charging up power from the souls of everyone around you. You shout out for your friends, but you can't do anything to stop it.

*Then everything turns dark again.

*When you come to, your friends have all disappeared. A goat-monster-child is standing in front of you, his back to you.

*Asriel.

"It feels so good not being a flower anymore," he whispers. He turns around, smiling at you feebly. "Chara, look. It's me, your best friend."

*What? Who is Chara?

*Your inner voice doesn't have a smart reply for once.

*An innate madness flashes up in Asriel's eyes. He grows into an adult version of himself, his eyes turn black, the pupils white. Asriel grins at you and starts floating.

"Ah, look. It's the absolute God of Hyperdeath," your inner voice snickers. "So edgy. Love it."

*What?

"Nothing. Better get ready to dodge, and think of a plan. I don't think hitting him is going to do any good. Not if he's absorbed every monster soul in the Underground."

*Asriel raises his arms and stars appear, aiming in on you. Some of them hit the cavern walls and explode into a multitude of smaller stars. You drop to the ground, making yourself as flat as possible, hands covering your head.

"Uh… I think your tactic is just making it easier for him to hit y- Oh my god, roll over! Roll over!"

*You roll over. The spot where you had lain before gets scorched by a wave of lighting. You feel your heartbeat stop, only to race faster a second later.

*Asriel is having fun. "The moment I defeat you, I'll take complete control over the timelines and I'll reset everything to zero!" He laughs, delighted, striking down another wave of lightning. "And we'll do everything all over again!" He summons a giant skeletal goat head. The head opens its mouth, charging a beam of energy.

*You back away. There's no room for you to dodge this. The blast will fill the whole cavern.

"Run towards it!"

*What? That's a terrible idea!

*Your inner voice insists. "Take cover beneath the head's chin. It can't hit us there! It's big enough, if we're lucky, Asriel won't even notice it!"

*You do as you say. You manage to slide beneath the goat head just before it unloads its beam of energy. Heatwaves roll off of it, singing your hair. You throw your arms over your head and press your face onto the ground.

*After a while, the heat dies down. You look up. The head is gone. You get up, feeling every burn mark you got from the heat before. You try hard not to cry.

"Even after all this, you're still standing?" Asriel sounds impressed, but then he shakes his head with condescending pity. "Don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only used a fraction of my real power!"

"Sounds an awful lot like Dragonball Z," your other part commentates.

*Like what?

"Oh come on, we've seen it once or twice on TV, it's stored in your memories. I swear, if he's going to transform-"

*Asriel transforms. His horns grow longer, his shoulders broader. Color-changing wings appear on his back. His feet melt together into a pointy triangle.

"Aaand he looks stupid. Time to end this."

*Easy to say.

*Asriel raises his arms again, summoning countless missiles. You drop to your knees. Not fair.

*Your other you clears its non-existing throat. "So. Plan. What did you do against his flower form again?"

*Calling out for the human souls.

"Try that again. Could be that the monster souls are still intact somewhere in there."

*You're not convinced.

"It worked with Little Red Riding Hood."

"That's a fairy tale!" You shout out loud.

*Asriel stops, studying you sharply. "Chara? Are you… ok?"

*You ignore him and call out for your friends. Something inside Asriel's chest is wriggling. You cheer it on.

A flickering light bursts out of Asriel's body. The goat-boy looks down at his chest in disbelief. The missiles fade away.

"Wait! This can't be, how… you're a part of me! All of you, stay in there!"

"Great. He's busy for now."

*You focus on the light that has escaped. It's vaguely shaped like Undyne. But it doesn't recognize you.

*It summons a spear of blue light and throws it at you. You catch it like you've done before. You cry out its name and charge at it, gripping the spear tightly. You fake an attempt to hit her and call her again. The shape gets clearer. Undyne reacts to your voice and growls back with her signature warrior cry. She's back, grinning at you widely.

"You go, squirt!" Then she disappears.

*While Asriel is desperately trying to regain control of the souls he absorbed, you repeat the process, calling out for the others. Encouraging Alphys, telling Sans a bad pun, complimenting Papyrus and finally freeing Toriel and Asgore.

*You glance at Asriel. He's just standing there, completely out of it. He's angry, but… somehow…

"He's still a kid at the core," your inner voice says quietly. "He's been stuck as a flower for ages, of course that's going to drive him insane."

*Since when have you been so empathetic?

"Uh, duh, I'm you. And you have more empathy than necessary."

*So what now? Call out for him as well?

"We both know he was the one that took care of the first human. And he didn't kill a single human of the group who eventually murdered him. Somewhere in there has to be some part of that original softie."

*The other you chuckles. "He's been confusing you with this 'Chara' for a while now. Maybe you look alike."

*The first human to fall down into the Underground.

"Very likely. Play along, pretend to be Chara. It'll affect him more, probably."

*You strengthen your resolve and take a deep breath, thinking of what to say next.

*You approach Asriel with a smile. "Asriel. Do you really want to fight me?"

*Asriel wavers, but regains his composure again. "Of course! Don't be like that! Don't smile, fight!"

*You put on a sad face. "Why do you want to hurt me? We're best friends, remember?"

*Your inner voice snorts. "Wow. Calm down with the psychopathic acting, this is creeping both of us out."

*Asriel backs away. "What… why are you… stop this!"

*You take another step forward. You spare Asriel. "I know you can do better."

*Asriel throws a halfhearted fire blast at you. It misses you by a long shot.

"Thank _god_ these people are so easy to convince," the other you notes.

*Asriel's expression grows bleak. "Chara… there's a reason why I'm doing this, believe me." His voice falters. "You're special. You're the only one who understands me. You're the only one who's fun to play with anymore. And… if I stop now… you're going to leave this place."

* Not _once_ since you've come here have you ever thought of leaving, much less said anything about it. It's a little annoying that all of the monsters seem to think that it's obvious you'd want to go back. But why would you? There's _nothing_ at the Surface to go back to! Down here, you're special. Nobody ignores you. Everybody is nice, well, now at least. They're funny. You've found friends. Family. Why would you want to leave and lose all of that?

*You shake your head. "No, Asriel. I'll stay right here."

*Asriel's eyes widen. "You're lying. You're just saying this to… to make me stop. But I won't! Please, just… just let me win!" Tears are running down his face. Bawling, he throws his arms up and blasts a beam of bright energy at you. Unprepared, you can't dodge it quickly enough and it hits you with full force.

*But it doesn't hurt. You don't dare to open your eyes, it's still too bright. But it's just that. Light. No heat, no attack, just… light.

*You regain control of your voice. "Asriel?"

"I'm so alone, Chara. I'm…" He has a hard time speaking. "I'm so afraid."

*Asriel shrinks down into his child-form again. He's sobbing loudly, rubbing his face with his sleeve, smearing snot and tears everywhere. "I… I'm… I'm so sorry, Charaaa!"

*You decide to give him a minute to calm down. It takes a little longer than that, but finally, the tears stop.

*Asriel faces you shyly. "I always was a crybaby, wasn't I?"

*Before you can say anything, he sighs. "I know. You're not actually Chara, are you? Chara… Chara's been gone for a long time."

*He avoids your eyes, embarrassed. "Um… what _is_ your name?"

* _Finally_.

"Frisk."

"Frisk?" the goat child repeats. "That's… a nice name. Frisk… I haven't felt like this in a long time."

"Is… he coming on to us?"

*You tell your inner voice to shut it.

*Asriel doesn't notice. "As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with everyone's soul inside of me… not only do I have my own compassion back, but I can feel every other monster's as well." He smiles at you warmly. "They all care about each other so much. And… they care about you too, Frisk. Papyrus, Sans… Undyne, Alphys… Toriel."

"What the heck. We've known them for less than a day," the other you snorts.

"Monsters are weird," Asriel says. "Even though they barely know you…"

*Your inner voice chuckles. "Taking the words right out of my mouth, tiny fuzzy Prince."

"It feels like they all really love you." Asriel laughs quietly and avoids your gaze again. "Frisk… I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I was horrible. I hurt you. I hurt so many people. There's no excuse for what I've done." He looks so heartbroken, with his shoulders hunched forward and his head down.

*You take a deep breath, close up to him and pull him into a hug. "It's okay. I forgive you."

"Ha! You're way too easy. _We're_ way too easy," your inner voice corrects itself.

"Frisk, you're gonna make me cry again," Asriel sniffles. "I don't deserve this, and I know it. Let's be honest, I can't erase what I did as a flower."

*You pat his back, not letting go.

"But… I can try to do something good… as my last action." Asriel pulls out of your embrace and spreads his arms. "I'll destroy the Barrier with the strength I have now. After that, I'll let the souls go free. I…" He's tearing up. "I'm going to be soulless again. Eventually… I'll become a flower again. But… it's okay. It has to be this way."

*You want to tell him to stop, but you know that Asriel won't change his mind about this. It's his chance to atone. Asriel floats up, his arms stretched out, charging up his strength. He looks down at you.

"One last thing before I go. Frisk – I'm glad I could meet you. I'm… glad it was you, and not really Chara. I want at least you to know this: When I absorbed Chara's soul, I wasn't completely in control. Chara was the one to pick up their empty body and to take it to the human village. When… when the humans attacked us, Chara wanted… wanted to kill all of them. They hated humanity. I guess… because I was their friend, I didn't realize until then that… Chara wasn't the nicest person. But… I didn't let Chara destroy those people. During my time as a flower, I regretted doing that. I had betrayed my friend. Now, that I've met you, I… I'm glad I did that. I… guess I just wanted someone to know. To remember."

*You smile up at him. "I'll remember it. I'll remember you, Asriel."

*Asriel's tears drip down to the ground, but his expression stays determined.

"Sounds like we're a better team than they were, huh?"

*Don't ruin the moment.

*Asriel closes his eyes and puts his head backwards, concentrating. The souls within him ignite, glowing visibly out of his body. The air is vibrating, the room is shaking.

" _Take care of Mom and Dad for me, ok?"_

*You lose consciousness.

* * *

Harry

" **after tori and the others had stopped the kid and the king before they could start** **their fight, a talking flower showed up. i've always been suspicious of that thing."**

I eased up a little, but immediately had a million new questions bombarding my head. A talking flower? Was he messing around? Or was he talking about another kind of monster? It didn't seem like it.

Besides, if _this_ wasn't part of what the king was hiding from me, then… what was it?

" **it liked to talk to my bro when i wasn't around. whisper things to him, predicting the** **future. this is where my memories get a little… fuzzy. i think the plant absorbed our** **souls, but i'm not sure. everything went white, and next thing we know is that the** **barrier is gone and the kid is lying on the ground, unconscious. paps was bawling his eyes** **out. then we all went out and now we're here."**

I had reached the limits of my patience about an hour ago. Now I was just livid.

"Okay, I've had enough! This explains absolutely nothing! Quit wasting my time by bullshitting me and tell me what's really going on here!"

Sans's grin grew wider. **"oh, you're right. it explains nothing. frisk was a good kid and made it through the underground without any faults. awfully nice, really patient,** **considerate, caring."**

If I didn't have such a hard time not trying to strangle him – which might have turned out difficult, without a respiratory system and all that fun – I would have applauded him for his masterful sarcasm. I took a deep breath and glared at him in a 'get to the point already, or this will take a turn for the worse' – way. Sans grinned back, unfathomed by my perfect intimidation tactic.

" **thing is – everything i just told you? wasn't their first run."**

* * *

Frisk

*Part of the Barrier seems to still be up. When Undyne tried to storm out, she was thrown back. But Alphys reckons that it would be destroyed once _you_ stepped out. The power of your human soul alone should be more than enough to tear it down completely.

*You're delighted when you see the happy faces of all the monsters around you. They can't wait to finally go out, to live on the Surface again. You want them to be happy, too.

"Eh, before you do anything hasty, think about this a moment," the other you chimes in.

*You frown. What's there to think about? It's what will make everyone happy. They've dreamt about seeing the sun for thousands of years. Papyrus wants to drive a car. Toriel wants to be a teacher. They can finally fulfill their dreams, once you step out of the Barrier and break the seal for good.

"You really want to go out there? Why? You know you can't do anything outside. Down here, you're someone special. Everyone knows you. You could keep it that way… if you reset, back to the beginning."

*You feel yourself turn pale. You dodge a worried question from Toriel and step away from the monsters and search for a quiet spot where you can talk unnoticed.

"Are you serious?! Why would I do that? How _could_ I? I would take everything away from them!"

"It's not like they'd remember it, so no harm done, right?"

" _I_ remembered every single time Flowey or Asriel reset."

"That's probably because we had the same power before. Do any of the others look like they remember the reset you did after beating Flowey? No."

*You feel yourself getting angry… at yourself. "It's still horrible! They are not my playthings, they're my friends! How can you be so selfish?!"

"Hey. I'm just being honest. A part of you wants to stay for that exact reason. No shame in acknowledging that." Its voice has grown cold. "And if that doesn't convince you, fine. There's a great logical reason for us to stay, as well."

"What reason?"

"Don't you forget something in that pipe dream of yours?" It's provoking you.

"What do you mean?" You're starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Come _on_." The other you chuckles condescendingly. It… feels strange. "They are funny. They are harmless. They are honest. _Naïve._ You know what that means?"

*You don't want to consider it.

"No?"  
"They would be _slaughtered immediately_. You know how trigger-happy most of the humans are. It's even easier if they're up against some weird, unknown creatures. Some might do it just out of fear. You know people. The first ones to go down would be either Papyrus or Toriel. Both too nice to actually try and hurt someone. Hell, Papyrus wouldn't even defend himself properly. _You know that._ I mean, just _imagine_ them up against the US-military. It's just laughable. It's like letting a baby kitten crawl around on the highway. You just _know_ it's going to end badly for the kitty."

*You feel tears swelling up in your eyes. "That's… that is…"

"At the end of the day, leaving would be just awfully irresponsible of us. Because, what do you know – the Barrier being broken is partly our fault. So the monsters dying would be our fault as well. Ah, no, forget that – I'm _against_ leaving, and I can't control anything, so it would be your fault, and _only_ your fault."

*You break down, crying silently. This… this can't be. After all you've gone through… after all you've achieved… this is it?!

"Hey, it's not so bad. We haven't seen everything yet, right? We can try to change this. Find a way to stay. Wouldn't that be great?" It tries to comfort you. "Come on, try to be positive about this."

*You sniffle and wipe your face with your sleeve. You're right.

"And hey. Maybe we can find a way to make us stronger. Strong enough to protect everyone, even outside. Then we can do this again, let Asriel tear down the Barrier and just try it out. But for that, maybe… maybe we should grow up first. The way we are now, no adult in the human world is going to take us seriously."

*You nod, convinced.

"Hey, squirt! There you are!"

*Undyne has found you. "I've been searching all over for you. Hurry up and walk outside! I wanna see the Surface!" She grabs you by the wrist.

*You smile at her ruefully. "Sorry, Undyne."

*You close your eyes and reach for the dimensional gap.

*You reset.

* * *

Short Comment

For everyone who knows the game and is a little confused about some parts:

Yes, I didn't include Undyne's and Alphys's date. It did happen of course, but I couldn't find a good place to add it in. I might have their romance in here later, but it didn't fit into the all over tone because of the way I've written the chapter up to that point. The changes made in the True Lab are also because of that.

Frisk doesn't know Chara because they didn't get to see/ hear the tapes in the recording room. Up to this point, Frisk has only heard of Chara as "the first fallen human."

Changes to the original dialogue of the game had to be made to match Frisk's actions and inner thoughts – and at one point due to the fact that Flowey doesn't talk to the player to have them achieve a better "ending", but to Frisk.


	9. Chapter 9 - Genocidal Maniac

**Chapter 9: Genocidal Maniac**

Frisk

*You don't know how many times it's been since you've reset the first time, returning to the start. Has it been a hundred days? A year? Two years? Longer? It feels longer. You're starting to get tired of the same exact spiel. You've grown accustomed to the reset-gap, and the lack of consequence everything has, has made every action painfully dull. Sometimes after a reset, you don't even want to get up anymore. What's the point? Plus, it's frustrating. You just can't seem to find a way to stay in the Underground, to grow up, to grow stronger. In accordance also has starting to lose its appeal. Why even protect them? If they really want to go out no matter what, and you can't talk them out of it (you've tried, _multiple times_ ), then why should you care?

*You also start to feel like you don't belong in your body anymore. Your physical age stays the same, but mentally? You feel like you're starting to outgrow your body. It's not a good feeling.

"Ugh, this is getting really boring."

*As the time had gone by, your inner voice had appeared less and less often. There was nothing to comment on anymore, after seeing it for the tenth time. You feel like you've grown apart a little, after being separated for this long a time. But you're actually glad to hear them again. At least they give you something new to work with. They don't tend to repeat themselves.

"It's so repetitive. Come on, you're getting tired of it. Yeah, maybe they remember you a little, but you know everything they say by heart now, you could recite them if you met them. _I_ certainly could. In fact – I'll do it right now! Then we can save ourselves from doing this physically."

*They are mimicking Flowey's voice. "'Hi, I'm Flowey, look at me, I'll try killing you even though I'm a weak-ass weed. Oh noes, fireball to the face, bye.' 'Hi, I'm Toriel, I've lost my last child so I'll try replacing them with you and be really motherly. I have to compensate for this _really_ bad.'"

*You are shocked by the heartless jab. You've grown farther apart than you thought you have.

"Hey! Don't talk about her like that!"

*They don't stop.

" _But it's_ _true_. 'Here, have some pie, don't go out, talk to some stupid dummy instead, no wonder my last child got themselves killed with that kind of education and social skills.'"

*You feel disgusted. "Stop it already! It's not funny!"

*They don't stop.

"I'm not trying to be. I'm just telling you as it is. As it _always_ is. 'Oh, you want to leave? No. – Please? No. – Please? No. – Please? – Fine, I can't fight you anyway. Don't come back, bye.' 'Hi, I'm Sans, I'm lazy and I _think_ I am hilarious.'"

*You get angry and step up to defend your friend. "He _is_ hilarious."

*They don't stop.

"Not after the same thing for the hundredth time, no. 'Have a whoopee-cushion to the hand, bad pun, be nice to my brother, bye. Hi, I'm Papyrus, I'm weak and arrogant and _really stupid_.'"

*You are furious. "Papyrus is my friend. Stop talking right now, or…"

"Or what? What can you do? I'm a part of you, _you idiot_. These are just your real thoughts."

*It hurts to hear that. You try not to listen. "They are not!"

*They laugh at you. "Sure, argue with yourself. I'm sure that'll help."

*They don't stop.

"'Have some nasty spaghetti and riddles. Everyone loves me! Okay, I don't want to capture you, look out for Undyne, bye.' 'Hi, I'm Undyne and the only thing close to a challenge down here, except that my attacks are always the same and I get myself fried in my armor trying to catch you in the Hotlands, because, _like_ _everyone else down here, I'm a freaking_ _ **moron**_. Oh lookie, we're friends now, let's burn down my house, nice, bye.' 'Hi, I'm Alphys, I'm a useless lazy social outcast that can't do shit and will help you only to get some screen time on my own.'"

*You try to think of a retort, but nothing comes to mind.

*They laugh at you. "Oh, so now you acknowledge the truth?"

*You try to defend her. "She's not useless, and she genuinely tried to help me."

"Against a robot that _she_ built. What an achievement. You know, usually scientists implant a fail-safe for these kinds of situations? Like a remote? Ah, no, wait, it isn't even a _real_ robot, just a narcissistic ghost that she stuffed into a mechanic box to make her look smarter than she actually is."

*…

*They don't stop.

"'Please don't break my toys even though they tried to stomp you, bye.' What a great character. 'Hi, it's Sans again. Let's judge you for everything you've done since coming here, even though those monsters are literally always the ones attacking first. Kill them in self-defense? Horrible. But nice, you're still just as weak as you were at the start. Pat on the back, my job is done, please don't kill the king, bye.' 'Hi, I'm Asgore, I've killed six probably innocent people even though I could've just gone outside after the first one – just like my son did – and tried looking for humans who might deserve death more than some people that got lost and fell down by accident. I actually didn't even want to leave here, but now I'll have to kill you, it's your fault for coming here. Nah, I can't after all, let's be friends instead and conveniently forget about the fact that I'm a serial killer. Want a cup of tea?' … Thinking about it, _he_ would fit in with the rest of the humans just fine."

*You give up. "… So?"

"Maybe change something up a little. See what happens."

*You're frustrated. "I've done that already."

"I don't mean _saying_ different things. I mean _doing_ things differently."

"Like what? Staying in the Underground, not fighting Asgore, not destroying the Barrier? It doesn't work, some way or another I always end up fighting him. Staying with Toriel in the Ruins forever? Been there, done that. Undyne just waltzes in one day on patrol and you get to know everyone that way. Toriel almost died protecting us that time."

*It takes a moment until the other you replies.

"… _almost_ , yes."

*You're not sure you want them to finish the thought. "… what?"

*They do it anyway. "Doing little stuff like that will change close to nothing. It will have to be a little more… extreme."

*You feel a chill running down your spine. It's not just fear. It has a certain… _excitement_ to it.

"It's not like it would be permanent, anyways, they're not gonna be _dead_ -dead. _You can_ _always reset and start from the beginning._ "

*They're right. Your heart starts beating faster. Fear and disgust are gone. It's the thrill of a new… _challenge._

"Yes, maybe I should…"

*You stop yourself dead in the tracks.

"No, this is Not right! I could never do that to them!"

* * *

*Twenty timelines later, you can.

*You immediately regret killing Toriel and reset.

* _Flowey reacts to your reset_.

*This has never happened before.

"Oh. This has just gotten so much more _interesting_ , hasn't it?"

*You have to agree. The sudden new development fills you with… curiosity. "Fine. I'll try again."

* * *

*You kill everyone you encounter in the Ruins. You _kill_ Toriel.

"Wow. She went down in one hit. She… she was afraid of me."

*She was _so_ _weak_. You feel bad.

* _ **No.**_ _Be honest with yourself, you're having fun._

"Let's just… look where this goes. _I can always reset_."

*You're filled with determination.

*You don't react to Sans's jokes. Have they always felt _so lame_?

*You ignore Papyrus's puzzles. They never really worked, anyway.

*You feel different. You know how many monsters there are before Snowdin. You know them all by name.

*There are 16 left.

*What if you brought that number down to zero? You can always just reset. It would be like _nothing ever happened_.

*You reach Snowdin. 0 left.

* * *

*The village is empty, safe for Monster Kid. This has never happened before. You feel anxious.

* _You mean_ _ **excited**_ _._

*You go on to fight Papyrus. He seems nervous. How sad.

* _How_ _**funny**_ _._

*He says he still believes in you. That you can do and be good, if you just try hard enough.

*Papyrus is sparing you.

*No.

"No! I can't do this after all! Stop! I, I have to reset, I…"

* _Really?_

*Papyrus is sparing you.

"Will it just be like always? I know everything they do. It's finally different, am I going to chicken out _now?_ I can't just do that now, _I haven't seen everything yet._ "

*You struggle with your conflicting emotions. "No. I'm just realizing it way too late. This is no fun at all. What the hell was I thinking? I… I want them back! Toriel! Froggit, Snowdrake, Vegetoid, all of them!"

*Papyrus is sparing you.

* _ **MERCY**_

* _ **No.**_ _You stick to the plan._

* * *

*You open your eyes. Your hands are covered in dust. Papyrus is gone.

"Wh-what have you done?"

*They giggle. "Me? It was all you. You can't just pull back now, or you'll find yourself back here a few timelines later. I just gave you a little push. Do you _really_ want to have to kill Mommy again?"

*You recall Toriel's shocked face. You remember your friends-

* _You remember_ _ **the monsters**_ _from the Ruins and Snowdin._

"No, I… I don't want any of this anymore. I want to reset."

*They sound angry. " _You lousy_ _hypocrite_. Don't put this on me alone. I only said out loud what you were thinking anyway. You're the one who came up with this. You're the one who started it. You're never going to reach the end like this. Stick to the path you chose. If you go back only now, what about all the other monsters you _searched for_ , _just to kill all of them?"_ They sound threatening." _Are their lives less important than his?_ "

*You flinch. "No, they…"

*They laugh dryly. "Oh, but they _are_. Stop lying to yourself. And look, you already did it. Might as well continue, make his death count something at least. There's nobody left that will be so… 'hard' to kill, right?"

*They have a point. But your excitement is gone. Your soul feels heavy.

"Let's just finish this."

*You continue. Heaps of dust remain everywhere you go.

*You kill the fish. She comes back, trying to cling to her life to protect the Underground from you. You kill her again.

*The lizard has run away and evacuated all the monsters she could. You kill her robot. It's over in one hit.

*Flowey seems scared of you.

* * *

*You enter the Last Corridor.

"I'm curious how he'll react to us this time. Isn't it fun?"

*Not really.

"Maybe you should make a pun this time. Something like 'Hey Sans, you sure look _brothered_ _by something_.'"

*You can't even look at Sans. Your soul feels cold and hard. It's so heavy that you can't even move properly anymore.

" **heya."**

*You don't answer

" **you've been busy, huh?"**

*You don't react.

" **so, i've got a question for ya."**

*You look at the floor.

" **do you think even the worst person can change? that everybody can be a good person,** **if they just try?"**

*That's what Papyrus had believed in.

" **heh heh heh heh…"**

*You keep your head down.

" **well, here's a better question."**

*Wait. Is this going to…

" **do you wanna have a bad time?"**

*Sans? You have never even thought of...

"' **cause if you take another step forward…"**

*It's not possible, right? Sure, he had his weird moments during the other timelines, but he never actually…

*You raise your head. Sans's eyes have a look in them that terrifies you.

"… **you are** **really** **not going to like what happens next."**

*You take another step forward. This _can't_ be true.

" **welp. sorry, old lady. this is why i never make promises."**

*You don't get ready to fight.

" **it's a beautiful day outside."**

*You _don't want to fight_.

" **birds are singing, flowers are blooming…"**

*Papyrus was supposed to be the last one to hurt this much.

" **on days like these, kids like you…"**

"Come on now. _He's not going to be a challenge_."

" _ **should be burning in hell**_ **."**

*You die instantly.

"What the hell was that?!"

*You don't have an answer. You feel empty.

"He's actually _this_ strong?!" They giggle excitedly.

*You try again.

*Sans _knows_ you've been here before.

*You die again.

"So he's _aware_ of the resets? _Interesting_."

*A horrible cold starts spreading through your body. If he knows… won't he remember _despite_ a complete restart? You start to panic.

"He won't remember it anymore once you've killed him. Try again. And dodge this time."

*You try again.

*Sans ridicules you for dying twice. You don't know what to do.

*You die again.

*What if he never forgets? You'd have lost a friend, forever. You could _lose_ _everything._

*You're afraid.

*You try again.

*Sans's attacks stay the same. So he remembers, but still can't change his initial actions. You don't know what to say.

*You die again.

*You don't want to fight.

*You try again.

*Sans is still counting your deaths. Behind his teasing, you can sense his fury. Sadness. Desperation. Fear. Hate. Guilt. You feel your own guilt coming back as well.

*You die again.

"Are you even _trying?_ "

*No.

*You reset again.

*Sans doesn't say anything this time. You want to tell him you're sorry. But the time for apologies has long passed. There's nothing you could say to make up for what you did.

*You die again.

*You want to give up. You can't fight another friend.

"We're so close to the end. You really want to give up now?"

*Yes.

" _He_ sure doesn't have any problem killing you on the spot, over and over again."

*You deserve it.

"What if he remembers if you spare him now? You'd have to go through all of this again, just to kill him in the end anyway."

*You don't want to fight him.

"This won't solve anything."

*You try again.

* * *

*Sans's attacks really hurt after a while. You start to get scared of getting hurt over and over. You start trying to dodge.

*You die again.

"… It's _something_."

*You still feel your wounds, even though you're not really hurt. Is it phantom pain?

*You try again.

*You die again.

*You try again.

*You die again.

*You try again. Again. Again. Again. Again. … …

* _IT **HURTS**_ **  
**

*You don't want to get hurt anymore. You're too scared to give up… maybe have him remember what happened… and _not even having a chance of beating him then, no matter how far back you reset._

* _You don't want to die._

*You have to continue.

" _Kill him_."

*You try again.

*You start to fight back. You've gotten used to Sans's attacks after seeing them over ninety times. Sans looks like he's getting tired. Only one hit, and it would be over.

" _Kill him_!"

*Sans is sparing you.

"Yes! _Kill him_ _ **now!**_ "

*Your hands are trembling. Your fingers feel numb.

*Sans is sparing you.

"This is your chance! Kill him!"

*You can't.

"… _what?_ "

*You drop your knife.

*Sans is welcoming you with open arms.

"… _suspicious._ "

*You start crying as you run towards the skeleton.

"No, wait, stop…!"

*Bones emerge from the ground and pierce through your entire torso.

" **get dunked on."**

*You die again.

*You feel empty.

* * *

" _Betrayal._ Didn't think he had it in him. This is so much fun."

*It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts…

"Maybe _not_ do that again then."

*You're getting frustrated. The pain overpowers your guilt. You're feeling _rage_.

*You try again.

*You kill Sans.

* * *

*Flowey kills Asgore, stammering that he would never betray you. That he's assisting you.

"Hah. He _stole_ your last kill."

*Flowey is terrified. He begs you not to kill him.

*You kill Flowey.

*There's nobody left. You stare into the endless void of the barrier. How is this an ending? You're stuck here? This… this was _not_ worth it. Your guilt is coming back. You collapse. You should just _die and never come back._

"And leave everyone dead? That would make you an actual murderer, are you really fine with that?"

*Shut up.

"Oh _come on_. This kind of thinking won't get you anywhere, _Frisk_."

*You feel shivers running down your spine. You look up. _But you're alone._

"I'm pretty sure you've noticed by now that I'm not really a part of you. You're smart enough to know at least that much. The name's Chara, by the way. You know. Asriel's adoptive sibling?"

*You can't move. You're scared.

"Oh, _buddy_ , why are you shaking? I'm the last friend you've got, there's no need to be _afraid of me_ , now is there?"

*You don't dare to talk.

"Sure, until now I pretended I was you. Sorry for the lie, we just didn't know each other enough for me to reveal myself."

*They don't sound sorry at all.

"Just so you know… _starting this genocide is still on you._ Mostly."

*You start sobbing. They sigh. "And now we're here. Just so you know, this place isn't ever going to change into something more interesting, and I don't plan on watching you rot away, doing nothing. It's time for you to reset."

*You can't. You don't deserve starting over and befriending all of these monsters again.

"There you go again, lying to yourself."

*You flinch.

"Sure, you do feel guilty. You're not a _complete_ sociopath, after all, I've failed at that. But that's not the only reason you don't want to reset."

*You beg them to stop.

"You're _scared._ Scared that some of them might remember. Scared that _he_ might remember. That he might take revenge. That he might start killing you over and over again, with you being too weak to do anything against it. Poor Frisk, it _still hurts_ , doesn't it? You still feel _every single hole he punched through you._ It wasn't like that with Flowey, right? Or with Asriel. This phantom pain is feeding on your _guilt and fear._ You're such a coward. d "

*They giggle. "Go on, tell me if I'm wrong."

*You can't.

"Well then, let me offer you something. _I_ know a way to reset while making sure that nobody – except you – will remember what you did. You'll still have to live with the guilt, but at least you wouldn't have to live with the fear of being stabbed any time you let your guard down. That sound better?"  
*You don't trust them.

"Clever. But, you see… _it's not really up to you this time._ "

*Your body starts moving on its own. Your hands grip the knife, covered in dust. Your fingers twist it around, pointing it at yourself. You scream for help. _But nobody came._

"So. Let's talk about that deal again, shall we?"


	10. Chapter 10 - Not Above Consequence

Chapter 10: Not Above Consequence

Frisk

*You wake up at the bottom of Mt. Ebott, on top of the buttercup flowers.

"Ch-Chara?"

*Silence.

*You get up and make your way through the first gate. Flowey turns up, just as always. You look for a sign of recognition. But he says the same things he always does. You let yourself get hit by the "friendliness pellets." Don't let any suspicions arise. Toriel comes in to save you. You hold your tears back upon seeing her. You stop yourself from running up to her and giving her a hug, telling her you're sorry about everything.

*She doesn't know you. It's the same it has always been. You stay in the Ruins for the night. Did it really work out? You're scared to leave. But you won't be able to continue this way. You close your eyes to check on the dimensional gap. You can still reset. Good. If… if anything happened, you might at least be able to return back here.

*You confront Toriel and convince her to let you leave. Jittery, you make your way forward, almost ignoring Flowey on the way. You make your first few steps into the snow. The cold surrounds your ankles and cuts into your skin. With growing anxiety, you force yourself to continue.

*You reach the bridge. You hear the sound of the branch behind you breaking. You close your eyes, feel your heart racing. You send a short plead to the heavens.

" **human."**

*You're scared stiff.

" **don't you know how to greet a new pal?"**

*You know he's standing right behind you. You consider jumping into the chasm in front of you.

" **turn around and shake my hand."**

*You turn around. Your stomach feels like it wants to burst out of your body. Sans is offering a handshake. You reach out and grasp his boney fingers.

*You hear a loud, long-lasting farting noise.

*The whoopee cushion. It's there. You start laughing loudly, out of relief. It worked! He doesn't remember! You can go on just like always. You can be friends again!

*Now that your fear is gone, the guilt is rushing back at full speed. Suddenly, the prospect of befriending everyone again fills you with dread.

* _You don't deserve it, now do you? How come you're the only one that does not have to deal with the consequences of your actions?_

*You keep up a cheerful façade. Meeting Papyrus – and really just anyone – again feels like a punch in the gut. After befriending Undyne, you take a break in the Waterfall area. Finally on your own, you clasp your knees and try to make yourself as small as possible.

" **hey, kiddo. 'sup?"**

*You let out a startled shriek. Sans is standing next to you. He sounds a little concerned.

" **what're you doing here all by yourself? that some kind of yoga-exercise?"**

*You tell him it's something like that.

" **hmm. that expression… that's the expression of someone who-"**

*You flinch when you hear these words. They're _oh so familiar._

" **geez, kid. you're almost as pale as me. you sick or something?"**

*You tell Sans you're okay.

" **welp, if you say so, kid… i'm going to grillby's. care to come with?"**

*You tell Sans you're not hungry.

" **ok. then i guess i'll go sans you."**

*You chuckle weakly. Sans turns back to you one last time, his expression unreadable. Then he walks around the corner and is gone.

*Your determination won't let you give up. You continue, going through the Hotlands, meeting Alphys and Mettaton once again. Going through the show the robot has set up. Playing along. You catch yourself yawning at the routine. You stop yourself right then and there, your heart racing.

* _Oh. You're not bored again,_ _**are you**_?

*You shake your head and finish the show without any further incidents.

*You face Sans in the Hall of Judgement. Sans's speech goes over smoothly and again, you can't help being relieved.

" **feeling better now, kiddo?"**

*You nod quietly. After receiving your judgement, you are determined to create a new path.

*The one that was always right in front of you. You just didn't want to take it. Were afraid of conflicts between the humans and the monsters. Didn't like the Surface for what it was. There had been a reason for walking up the mountain on your own after all. But now, you feel the weight of your power in a completely new way. Who are you to keep everyone else from their hopes and dreams, just because you were uncertain or not interested? You are _not a god_. You have no right to keep pretending to be one.

*You have achieved the best possible outcome for everyone. You only have to pull through to the end and then take that extra little step that would have everything continue on the outside. With new found courage, you reach the Throne Room. You witness everyone getting caught by Flowey, who has stolen and absorbed the other human souls. You fight Flowey and then Asriel your own way, as you have always done.

*You forgive Asriel. You break the Barrier.

*Finally, everyone will be standing outside with you, watching the sun set.

*You take the one, final step.

* * *

You hear a horrified scream, loud enough to make everyone jump. Anxious, you turn around and see Sans, lying on the ground, holding his head. You freeze.

Papyrus immediately rushes to his brother's side and panics, asking frantically what to do. Sans slowly opens his eyes again, gently swiping off Papyrus's hand.

" **everything okay, bro. i… just had a headache for a second."**

Nobody around him looks convinced.

" **no really,"** Sans laughs weakly. **"it's nothing. it's over already."**

Your eyes meet. Pure horror drives out every other emotion you had up to that point.

 _He remembers._

You want to reset. But you realize… You can't reset anymore. You ask Chara to help you. But they remain silent.

 _This had been a mistake._

* * *

Harry

"You- wait, what?" My headache had apparently called for reinforcements, it felt like my brain was going to split right down the middle. "Frisk _reset_ the timeline? What the hell are you talking about?"

Please don't let it be what I think it is.

Of course it was what I thought it was.

Sans had stopped talking. He was just sitting there, his eye-sockets empty, almost lifeless. Yes, haha, I'm aware of the joke. I leant back against a tree and swore quietly.

"Shit."

This explained the weird energy-stripes hovering around the Mountain. It was a mixture between remnants of the ridiculously powerful Barrier plus… magic that had messed around with time. Several times. It explained the wristwatch of the bus driver not working properly, and it might have even opened up dimensional rips in time-space-mumbo-jumbo that let in the parasite that had almost killed the boy from before.

I should have been at least a little glad about this mystery being somewhat simple to solve.

I just wished it didn't have to do with the kid and these monster-people.

This meant all sorts of new trouble. Of course it did, I'm the number one magical problem-magnet after all.

"Shit." Shit indeed. I started frantically rubbing my forehead. "How… how many times did they do that?"

And _what for_? What reason did the kid have to do something so… stupid?

" **my memory's a little foggy, but all in all – they've been down there for effectively three years."**

 _Hell's Bells._ "The same day for three years?"

" **heh. if it makes you feel any better, no, it wasn't the exact same thing every time."**

The tone of his voice let my blood run cold. I looked at him, and, for the first time, he was genuinely angry.

" **one time – they decided to play a different kind of game with us. it was the second to last time they restarted their day."**

I remembered his words from earlier on. About a hundred monsters, crumbling to dust. Him _judging_ the kid.

"You… you don't mean…"

" **i killed them. ninety-three times. they always reset and came back, so it was completely pointless."** He snickered, laying down and staring up at the sky. **"but what else was i going to do? alphys isn't a fighter, and she was busy getting the surviving few** **monsters to safety. undyne was dead. tori was dead. my brother was dead. everyone i cared about, just a bunch of dust. and it would have only needed the kid to reset back to the beginning to bring all of them back in a heartbeat. but they didn't do that. i was trying to make them quit out of frustration. … let's just say it didn't work out the way i hoped it would."** He put his left hand on his chest, looking at it as if he was checking that everything was okay. **"next thing i know, i'm back in snowdin."**

Sans closed his eyes. **"i don't know what happened after i died. maybe the kid killed the king as well. maybe i was just an accomplishment they wanted to achieve. i didn't remember anything, but when we left the mountain for good - it came all back to me."**

I stared at him, unsure of what to say.

"Why do you think particularly _you_ remember? And why was it only set off once the Barrier was down?"

" **no idea. the kid sure didn't bother explaining. they haven't said a single word to me since."** He sat up again, facing me with a chilling grin. **"i think you might get the joke now. despite everything the kid has done, they don't have to face any sort of consequence. nobody but me remembers, everyone can only see them as a close human friend. the epitome of human kindness. they get to play with all of their unknowing victims, day in day out, while i sit there and watch, having no idea when they might snap or get bored again. but now the kid is scared and that makes me the bad guy. hilarious, isn't it? could laugh about it for hours."**

I really wanted to believe that he was lying to me.

"Well, you're wrong about one thing," I murmured, trying to massage the throbbing headache away, failing miserably. "Frisk _will_ have to face consequences. At least if the Council finds out that they were messing with time."

Sans remained still. **"council?"**

I pondered about telling him. The monsters would have to deal with the Council, and by that the Senior Council at one point anyways. It would be cruel to let them run into half of those old hacks completely ignorant.

"Basically the whole wizard-community plus a ring of leaders. Was established after you were sealed in. Not very friendly towards rule-breakers."

Sans studied me cautiously. **"huh. uhhh… you don't happen to be some big guy in there, do you?"**

This was getting awkward _fast_. "I'm kinda one of the guys who's supposed to capture people like Frisk."

The skeleton chuckled. **"freakin kid. can't catch a break… say, how harsh is the penalty for breaking this time-rule?"** He sounded casual, but I knew it was a farce.

I stayed quiet.

" **not just a time-out then."** He sighed **. "so. do i have to fight you now to keep the kid safe?"**

Startled, I leant back, ready to stand up. "Wha- why would you do that?" I had partly thought that Sans would like the premise of Frisk going away in this fashion.

" **i don't like it, but frisk is our greatest asset for human relations right now, i can't really pick and choose here."** Sans got up. I did the same, staff still in hand, ready to pull up a shield, just in case. I couldn't completely read the guy yet.

"Sans. Be smart about this."

" **sorry, but i can't just let you take them."**

"Now wait a sec, I never said-" I couldn't even finish my sentence. One second, the skeleton was there, the next he was gone. Vanished, just like that. No 'plop', no 'poof', no nothing. Just gone.

Freaking mystery man.

* * *

Frisk

It was the cold that woke them up. Frisk's eyes snapped open, scanning the area, disoriented.

The creek. They were still at the creek where they had fallen asleep – and relived the whole nightmare. Sweat was drenching their striped shirt, and the mountain cold had crept under their skin. Frisk raised a hand, rubbing tears of their face.

"I'm so sorry," the child whispered. "I wish I could…"

Could what? Turn back time? Do it over? Bad joke incoming. Frisk curled up, trying to keep the cynical thoughts out of their head. Those thoughts had been haunting them ever since they had done their last restart. And they were getting worse.

Was it Chara? But Chara hadn't said a word since the last restart as well. Had they molted together somehow? Or was it their own head? Frisk felt the tears swelling up as the nightmare overcame them once more.

"I'm sorry." Again. "I'm so sorry."

 **"who're you talkin' to, kid?"**

 _Sans_. The child shrieked, jumped up and spun around. The skeleton was standing there, maybe five feet behind them. No one else was there.

Frisk's heart started racing. Knees shaking, they staggered backwards. They tripped. And fell into the icy creek.

Freezing cold water ran over their skin, soaked their clothes. Frisk gasped for air as they felt their muscles cramp up. The child looked up and saw Sans coming nearer, looking irritated.

Frisk raised an arm defensively. "Sans, wait! I- I…" They felt the tears coming back. "Please, I-"

 **"not now, kiddo."** Sans walked through the water up to the child, unfazed by the cold. Frisk tried to crawl backwards – too slow.

The skeleton reached forward and grabbed Frisk by the collar. In a state of panic and desperation, the child opened their mouth to scream for help, but before they could make any sound, the scenery changed abruptly.

Sans had teleported the two of them away from the creek to… where to? No matter where Frisk looked – it was pitch-black.

The skeleton let go of the child's shirt, and Frisk dropped to the ground. A carpet floor?

"Wh-where are we?" Frisk got up and backed away cautiously. They couldn't see anything but Sans's floating glowing pupils. The child bumped into something with their back and flinched.

Sans's pupils disappeared for a moment, then a light above them flickered on, and the surroundings became visible. Immediate guilt tucked at Frisk's heart. They knew this place.

It was a quadratic, small room, with a treadmill at the center, a worn-out mattress in one corner opposite to the door, and a drawer with a lamp on it in the other. Single socks were spread over the floor up to the wall, where some of them had been sucked into a weird, self-sustaining miniature trash-tornado.

 **"my room,"** Sans clarified. **"stay here until i get back. we've got a** _ **mage**_ **-er problem."**

He… what was going on? Had something happened with the wizard?

"Sans, why-"

 **"sorry kid, no time.** _ **spell**_ **ya later."** With that, Sans vanished. Completely flabbergasted, Frisk staggered backwards and sat down on the mattress, dripping with creek-water.

"What just happened?!"


	11. Chapter 11 - In Need of a Quarantine

Chapter 11: In Need of a Quarantine

Harry

It took me ten minutes to get back to the monster camp, long enough to think of what to do next and for my throbbing headache to quiet down a little.

I didn't plan on dragging Frisk in front of the Senior Council to have them executed. But it wasn't so easy this time around. If the kid had really basically committed genocide out of _boredom_ , there was the possibility of them being already too far gone – although the first impression I had gotten from them indicated the exact opposite. I had seen a child that deeply regretted their actions and was confused and scared. That didn't make their actions any less horrible, but it made the kid redeemable. Plus, they had brought all of their murder victims back with the last 'reset,' so effectively, there were no 'real victims' left – which was, at least legally, an advantage.

The real problem came with the Sixth Law of Magic, specifically with Frisk breaking that rule over a thousand times.

A thousand times. Hell's Bells.

Just last year, I had taken a huge risk by defending Molly from the Senior Council and effectively have her become my apprentice, after she had broken one of the big Seven. It only worked out that way because of her father Michael was the Knight of the Cross that had helped in a big fight against the Red Court just before Molly's trial. And even then, Molly and I still got placed under the "Doom of Damocles," a suspended sentence that would leave both of us executed, if just the tiniest suspicion would arise that one of us was breaking rules. If I didn't handle this correctly, it wasn't just me who would have to deal with the consequences. My not telling the Council about the things I knew now could be easily interpreted as betrayal of my duties as a Warden. It just needed someone who didn't like me. And I didn't have many fans in the Council. Not many with political power, anyway.

Even if I didn't notify the Council soon, this whole situation could never be kept secret in the long run. And if they put two and two together, they would be able to see the time-tempering just as quickly as I had, if not more. And then it wouldn't take them too long to find out who had done it. Had it been any of the monsters, it might have been fine – the Laws only applied to the Council members and human practitioners.

I decided to postpone those thoughts to after I would have had a second talk with Frisk. But for that, I would have to find them first. I had no idea where Sans had gone, but I could imagine that he had taken the kid and hidden them… somewhere. He was making this more difficult than it already was.

When I arrived at the first tent of the camp, something fast and hectic ran into my kneecaps from the side and made me curse silently. I looked down at the attacker and recognized it as one of the monsters from this morning – the partridge with the snowflake-face. It looked up at me and its eyes grew big in nervous surprise.

"Aack! Sorry, I didn't mean to- wait, this is good! I think. I don't know. Help!" Its speech became more and more unintelligible, until I couldn't make any sense out of what it was trying to tell me. I knelt down, and grabbed it by its… shoulders? Wings? It felt cold, like it had little ice-crystals built into its feathers.

"Calm. Down."

The partridge stopped its gobbling and stared at me with big, round bird-eyes. I almost got pulled into a soul-gaze with it.

"Now. Try again. Slowly."

"Help!" it shouted, making monsters that were passing by giving us concerned, even scared looks. I sighed.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you don't need to-"

"No, you need to help!" The ice-bird exclaimed. "Your dog! Humans! There's trouble!"

I frowned. Mouse was in trouble? He never got himself in trouble, only if I dragged him into it. I never forgot to apologize for it.

"Explain," I snarled, now only focused on worrying about my dog. Nobody hurts Mouse and gets away unscathed. "Where is he?"

The lower-leg-sized bird shrunk a little, looking up at me anxiously. "M-Mr. Wizard, you're hurting me."

"Oh. Sorry." I loosened my grip and let go of the bird's wings. It took a step back and moved them carefully before continuing, more quietly this time.

"I… I went outside of the camp a little. Please don't tell Undyne, I'll get in so much trouble, and if Dad knows, I'll be grounded and-" It took a deep breath. "I mean, I didn't go very far. Maybe twenty minutes. Then I heard a voice." It hopped closer to me, almost whispering now. "There was a human. And two other ones, but they were sleeping, I think. The one who wasn't sleeping tried to wake them up, but they slept pretty tightly, they didn't react at all. When I tried to sneak away, the awake one heard me and almost saw me, so I ran back here!" The bird's breathing grew excited. "I couldn't really tell Undyne or another Guard member, because I shouldn't have gone out there in the first place. So I thought, 'hey, maybe another human should talk to them', but I couldn't find Frisk. So I went to your tent and told your dog everything."

"You told… Mouse?" I said, confused. Mouse was smart, smarter than most people, and _I_ knew that, but… oh, who am I kidding. I was talking to a _bird_ at the moment. Of course they wouldn't differentiate.

"Yes," the bird said. "And then he just ran off. I think he went to the humans, and I wanted to follow him, but I couldn't find the place again, and I didn't want to get lost, and-"

"I think I got the gist of it," I interrupted the partridge before it could fall back to talking nonstop. "I'll go after him."

"Can… can I come with you?" The bird looked up at me, filled with curiosity.

I stood up and frowned down at them. "I thought you shouldn't leave the camp?" Besides, I didn't want to let the others think that I'm kidnapping monsters now. From the way the bird had been talking, it had to be a child, or a teenager at most. It was different from going with Sans. Plus, it would probably do nothing but get in the way somehow.

The little monster-bird looked down, sullen. "Y-yeah, but-"

"No buts, and no following. In exchange, I won't mention your little escapades to Undyne. Deal?"

The bird pawed the ground begrudgingly. "Okay."

I wasn't sure if I had gotten through to it, but for now, there were more important things to deal with.

For starters, I had to find my dog. Since my wooly mammoth lost enough hair to weave a small carpet with every other day, doing a tracking spell was easy once I had picked up some strands in the tent we had slept in. The trail led me off into the forest part of the mountains again. I left behind the camp and followed the channel link.

After a ten minute walk I found Mouse and the three humans the monster had mentioned right behind a boulder. As I had imagined, the humans were more of the lost students from Mrs. Harris's class. And stars and stones, you could see that they had been missing on the mountain for almost a whole week. They were pale, eyes sunken in, their clothes torn at the legs and arms, covered in pine needles and moss-stains, their hair messy and matted. So they basically looked like me after a tough job. Plus pine needles.

Contrary to what the bird had told me, it seemed like _two_ of them were awake instead of one. One of the boys, skinny and with obvious Asian ancestry somewhere in there, was lying a few steps near the boulder.

The other one, red-haired and light-skinned, was pressing himself against a tree, staring wide-eyed at… my dog.

Mouse was growling warningly, pinning down the third child of the group – a slim, olive-skinned girl with brown hair. I couldn't see her face – it was blocked by Mouse's massive shoulders. She didn't move.

Once the red-head spotted me, he almost hunched over in relief.

"M-Mister, help! Please, somehow… the dog…"

I raised my hands, palms up, in an attempt of calming him down. "Don't worry, it's my dog. He won't hurt her. Mouse?"

But instead of letting go of the child, his deep growling intensified. I frowned.

"Mouse, I got it," I said. "I'll be careful."

The wooly mammoth turned his massive head to me and whined, then he backed down, staying between the girl and the redhead.

It was like a horror scene out of a cheap B-movie. The girl sat up immediately, like having been pulled up by invisible strings. She slowly turned her head – and _only_ her head, keeping her torso completely still – towards me and stared at me with her eyes rolled up, showing her eye-whites. It was cringy and creepy at the same time. A cold chill ran down my spine.

"Kid?" I said to the boy, who was still noticeably wary of Mouse. "Get behind me."

"M-Mandy?" Instead of doing what I asked, he stumbled towards the girl, only stopped by Mouse getting in his way. The girl opened her mouth and whimpered.

"Listen, you'll have to trust me on this!" I started a new attempt of getting the boy to do what I wanted him to do. "Get away and follow the dog, he'll look out for you."

The boy eyed me with a mixture of fear, confusion and suspicion.

Mandy meanwhile managed to get up and staggered towards me, tears running down her cheeks. Somewhere in there, she was somewhat conscious of her actions. And she was in pain or horrified – probably both.

Before I could think of a good way to get her out of the possession without hurting her, the other kid, who had been unconscious up until now, groaned quietly and got up the exact same way as Mandy had before.

"Oh Hell's Bells," I spat, and finally opened my Sight.

It was just as I had suspected. Again, the kid had been infected by some otherworldly Parasite, only this time it resembled a giant millipede rather than a tapeworm, wrapped around the host's body. Its substance was less gooey, it had an almost solid feel to it. The pointy legs stuck at least two inches in Mandy's soul, making it Look like her skin slowly turned into a sieve. The Parasite's pincers clicked together in an unnerving rhythm, nothing more than a soft ticking noise.

There were more wounds on Mandy, but they Looked… older. Like scars that had been closed and reopened many, many times. But before I could Examine her further, real-world-Mandy screamed in a high-pitched voice and ran at me. Her Parasite unwrapped one turn, freeing its grayish front parts, stretching out and clawing after me, not once stopping the furious clicking noise of its pincers.

I put up my staff and held its other end against Mandy, keeping her at two arms' length away from me.

What now? I couldn't risk hurting the child, but the Parasite made it impossible to just knock her down gently.

Mouse was the one who solved the issue. With a loud "Woof!", he jumped in and pinned the girl down again. He gnashed his teeth against the insectoid and bit into its nape area, sinking his teeth deeply into the Parasite's carapace, causing an awful crunching-then-squishing noise.

"Good Boy!" I said, relieved. My dog wagged his tail at me, not letting go of the struggling Parasite.

A child's scream took my attention away from my prodigious pet and towards the part-Asian boy who had gotten up as well. While I had been distracted by Mandy, he had pushed down the redhead.

His Parasite was a hairy, six feet long caterpillar, which stuck to his back and hung its face over the boy's shoulder. Its thin bristles stretched out in all possible directions, moving independently.

 _Why_ were all of these things so goddamned disgusting?

The caterpillar opened its mouth, and out dripped a strange, pus-colored liquid, emitting a horrible stench that made me feel nauseous. It might be called "Sight", but really, the same effect applies to all of your senses. The liquid – saliva, I assumed – had little, oval-shaped blobs in it.

It took me a second too long to understand that those blobs were the Parasite's _eggs_.

The liquid splashed onto the red-haired boy, who immediately started choking. He screamed and struggled against the other child, who held him down with a face void of any expression. It didn't take another ten seconds, and the red-head's efforts to break free died down, until he grew completely limp. The eggs slipped into his supernatural reflection and embedded themselves into him, completely outside of my reach.

The part-Asian kid got back up and turned towards me, eyes rolled up.

I wished it just had been a ghoul, or literally any monster I knew. In that case, I would have been able to actually _do_ something. But this way, my hands were tied. I couldn't just blast the kids alongside their Parasites to oblivion, I _knew_ that they could be saved after all. But I wouldn't be able to just restrain them and then take care of the insectoids either, since those damn things could move and attack freely while still being attached to their hosts.

Sluggishly, the boy started running in my direction. I cursed and held up my staff, glad I had Mouse by my side.

But mid-run, the boy suddenly froze. His feet were still both up in the air, hovering a few inches above the moss. Then his legs were yanked up, and the kid was tossed to the ground. He and the caterpillar lay there, seemingly being pressed down by a supernatural force.

What the…

 **"need a little help?"**

I spun around, only to see Sans standing next to the bolder, one hand outstretched, almost casually. I frowned, thinking about what he might have done while he had been gone, and where Frisk was now. But the time-traveler-child would have to wait. For now, we had to call a truce.

"Appreciated," I said.

Sans nodded. It had a certain gratefulness to it. **"i'll** _ **give you**_ _ **a hand**_ **, then."** He pulled out his other skeletal hand from his pocket and applied the same pressure he was putting on the possessed boy on Mandy. Mouse noticed it and let go of the Parasite to join my side.

"Let's free the girl first. She woke up earlier than him, so with her perhaps it's more urgent," I said. Mouse barked affirmatively. And we got to work.

Getting rid of the children's Parasites was a nasty and lengthy process. The Millipede's pincers cut right through a sturdy branch I threw at its head to distract it. Apparently, Sans's magic was only affecting the kids', not the insectoids' bodies – probably because he could only apply his magic on the things he could see. It took a while until Mouse got a good hold of the Millipede again, and the more he bit into the insect's carapace, the deeper the thing's legs dug into Mandy's true self, to the point where the girl flat out started screaming. Out of sheer frustration and anger, I started ripping out the Millipede's legs, even though there seemed to be no end to them. And harming it that way finally worked. Centimeter by centimeter, Mouse dragged the Parasite further off of Mandy, while I continued mutilating it, splattering parts of its insides out along with the thin legs. After what felt like an eternity of poky legs and supernatural Parasite liquid, we finally got it to let go of Mandy. Mouse shook his head vehemently, damaging it once more before he launched it up into the air, where I blasted it away with a fire-spell.

One down, one more to go. Mouse and I simultaneously turned to the Caterpillar.

That Parasite had obviously taken its notes from seeing its buddy being beaten so badly. It had already loosened its grip on the boy and seemed to wager its options. I shuddered. So it was self-aware enough to make conscious decisions? This was getting better and better.

When we approached, the Caterpillar chose retreat. It hurled two big splashes of its saliva at Mouse and me, one of which landed in front of our feet. I easily blocked the other one by drawing up my shield around my dog and me. But once I put down the staff, the hairy insect was already three feet away from its host, trying to flee. I set off to run after it, stepping right into the liquid it had vomited out in front of us. Mouse grabbed my duster with his teeth to pull me back, just as I spotted millions of squirming, wiggling tiny maggots inside of the ghastly liquid, all trying to go after me. I quickly removed my shoe and made sure to tidy it of any creatures that had attached themselves to it, before I put it back on. When I looked up, the Caterpillar had disappeared in the forest.

"Shit," I hissed, then aiming my focus on the last kid. The red-head was still out of it, and a quick glance at his true self let me see the Caterpillar's eggs still embedded deeply within him. They were _moving_ already. But there was nothing I could think of to help him. For now, I could only Watch the infestation grow. My stomach churned at the thought of the eggs breaking and letting out larvae, to crawl around in the child's insides and causing severe damage. With a final sense of disgust, I closed my Sight.

The eggs seemed to be stable, for now. But I had no way of Seeing when the baby Parasites would hatch.

It definitely looked like I would have to contact the Council. This was way above my expertise.

A weak, small moan pushed that thought into the "on hold"-box in my mind and pulling my attention away from the boy towards Mandy. The little girl was flailing around, disoriented, her movements resembling those of a newborn that couldn't quite control its muscles yet. She couldn't even lift her head, leaving her completely incapacitated, and her field of vision limited.

Mouse trotted to her side and gave her shoulder a gentle nudge. Mandy's face brightened up immediately.

"A dog!" She sluggishly reached out to him. He returned the approach and poked her palm with his nose. Mandy giggled meekly.

"Are you lost too?"

"No, he's not," I said, still standing beside the redhead kid. Startled, Mandy tried to get up, but once again couldn't coordinate her muscles well enough.

"Hello?" She called out shyly. "Who is there?"

I gave Sans a warning look before coming over. He'd better stay out of this for now, no need to scare the poor kid even more in her current state. He shrugged and leaned back at the boulder, keeping his distance so that Mandy couldn't see him.

Slowly, I stepped closer to Mandy and crouched down beside her, entering her field of vision.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help."

She studied me cautiously, avoiding eye contact. "U-um, sorry, I don't want to be rude, but… who are you?"

Almost immediately, she flinched and hurried up to add: "I-I mean, I really don't want to be rude, I just-"

"I'm-" I intercepted, but stopped myself, looking at Sans again, who was grinning back at me like always.

They weren't evocational magic users per se, at least as far as I could see. I didn't think them knowing my first name would hurt much at this point.

"I'm Harry Dresden," I told Mandy, with as gentle a tone I could manage. "Your teacher, Mrs. Harris, has sent me to bring you and your classmates home, Mandy." I tried to smile nicely. It had the intended effect – Mandy visibly relaxed.

"Oh, thank god! Thank you, Harry! I-I mean… can I call you Harry?" A hint of unease flickered up in her eyes. I nodded.

"Sure, do what you want."

Her smile came back. "Thank you so much, Harry."

I was unsure of what to think of that. I don't do so well with flat-out gratitude. It makes me feel embarrassed.

This time, Mandy made a conscious effort to get up – and promptly tensed up when she noticed that she couldn't do it.

"I… I can't move right…" Her voice broke. "I can't… my legs… my arms…" She looked up at me, pleadingly. "Please, Harry, help me!"

I put one hand on her shoulder and instantly felt it – she had enough magical affinity to become a practitioner one day. It was hard not to get annoyed. Great, another thing to keep in mind. I shook my head and looked at her forehead while trying to calm her down somehow.

"Don't panic, this is… this will go away after a while. Your body is just… really weak right now."

Yeah. Let's go with that.

I studied her. "Do you feel hurt anywhere?" There weren't any apparent superficial bruises – of course not, the Parasite hadn't been material per se – but having your inner self gnawed at so badly tends to leave scars that still hurt physically.

Mandy sniffled, giving it her all to control her trembling. "No. But I… I'm really hungry," she said timidly. "I… _we've_ had nothing to eat for three days. Corbyn said to ration our snacks, but we ate the last one ages ago." She gasped. "Oh no, Corbyn! Sam! Where are they?!"

 **"they're here,"** Sans said, suddenly chiming in on the conversation. I stared at him in disbelief. What was he doing?

Mandy began flailing around again after hearing another unknown voice. "Hello? Who is there?"

 **"don't bother kid, i'll come over. you doing that makes me feel exhausted."**

"Wait, Sans, you can't just-"

But Sans ignored me and disappeared from the boulder. Next second, he came out from behind a tree, entering Mandy's sight.

Her reaction was immediate. Her eyes widened, her face grew pale.

"A-a-a... a skeleton! Harry, behind you, there's a-"

 **"the name's sans"**

"Don't be scared, Mandy. Him and I agreed on a truce," I said, then focusing all of my attention on Sans. "What the hell are you doing?"

 **"he won't make it,"** he said unapologetically.

I froze. "What?"  
 **"i** _ **checked**_ **them. the black-haired kid over there,"** he pointed at the part-Asian boy. **"he'll die if he's out in the cold for much longer."**

I glanced at the student. He _did_ look much worse than the other two.

"M-Mr. skeleton?" Mandy's voice was trembling, but she kept it together, bravely holding up eye-to-glowing-pupil contact with Sans. "Is that true?" She teared up. "Will Corbyn die?"

Sans's dotty pupils almost looked sympathetic.

 **"don't worry, kiddo. one burger at grillby's and he'll be good as new."**

I stood up and walked up to him, my eyes narrow. "You really want to bring even more humans to the camp?" I asked quietly, so Mandy couldn't hear.

 **"you plan on carrying all three of them down the entire mountain then?"** he countered.

He had a point. The kids probably weighed roughly 230 lbs. altogether. That would be like trying to carry around Michael. In addition to that, even if I made it to the Subaru – I couldn't even be sure about it running anymore, after it had stood next to the magical outlet for such a long time. And I sure as heck wouldn't give the kids piggy-back rides all the way to Aspen. I _do_ work out, but there are limits.

Plus, there was the issue with the boy with the Parasite eggs. The camp was the safer option for now.

I took a deep breath. "Fine, you're right. Could you take one of them and-"

 **"nah, i'm not much of a carrier. i'll go ahead and inform grillbz to put three-"** he eyed me shortly. **"** _ **four**_ **burgers on my tab. you look like you'd need something as well. see you there."**

"But Sans, how am I supposed to-"

He was gone. This was getting old, _fast_. Not to mention freaking annoying

"The skeleton teleported," Mandy remarked quietly.

"Yes, I noticed," I said, much sharper than I had intended to. Mandy flinched.

"Sorry," I muttered, kneeling down next to her again. "That wasn't aimed at you. Long day."

"It's okay," she said.

"I'm not sure how to transport all three of you," I admitted. "And I can't just leave either of you here while carrying the other two."

"You could leave the dog with me, and pick me up later," Mandy offered.

I glanced at Mouse.

"Maybe we could-"

"TALL HUMAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?"

Papyrus.

Seconds later, the lanky skeleton brushed through a group of bushes and waved at me enthusiastically. He didn't have Amy with him anymore. So he had managed to escape from playing horse.

Mandy managed to reach out to me and tuck at my sleeve.

"Do you have a truce with that skeleton too?"

"Don't worry," I assured her, finally being completely certain of something. "He's friendly."

At that point, Papyrus had gotten close enough to see the whole scene. He came to an abrupt halt and stared. Then, his 'expression' turned from curious to ecstatic.

"OH! MY! GOD! MORE HUMANS!", he screeched deafeningly. "THIS IS THE SECOND GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

He stalked towards us, only to freeze a second time. "TALL HUMAN. THOSE TWO OVER THERE – ARE THEY SICK AS WELL?" He sounded deeply worried.

I gave it a thought. This explanation would probably be easier and faster for him to understand.

"Yes, they-"

"THEN WE MUST _DO_ SOMETHING! SICK PEOPLE CAN'T JUST SLEEP IN THE FOREST!" He ran over and grabbed the boys, one beneath each arm. "QUICKLY! WE MUST GET THEM SOMEWHERE WARM!"

I gave up. This guy was just too much. Too loud, too energetic, too enthusiastic, too… _everything_.

I glanced at Mandy. "I'll carry you, is that okay?"

She nodded hurriedly, not letting Papyrus out of her sight – but she looked more curious than scared.

Carefully, I picked the girl up and turned towards the skeleton.

"Uh… your brother suggested a place called Grillby's. It's a… restaurant or something, I think?"

"NYEH!" Papyrus sounded annoyed. "OF COURSE HE WOULD! HE _ALWAYS_ GOES TO THIS GREASY PLACE! IT'S SO UNHEALTHY!"

Sounded like the monster-equivalent to Burger King. "Fine, but is it _warm_?" I asked.

"ALMOST CERTAINLY! GRILLBY IS A FIRE-MONSTER." Papyrus appeared to be deep in thoughts. "AND WHILE I DON'T FANCY HIS CHOICE IN CUISINE, HIS COOKING MAY VERY WELL AID THE CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING! HE EMBEDS THE INGREDIENTS WITH HEALING MAGIC, AS FAR AS I'M AWARE."  
"Then lead the way," I said.

Papyrus's face beamed with glee and pride. "I AM MOST THANKFUL FOR YOUR TRUST, TALL HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT REGRET IT! FOLLOW ME!"


	12. Chapter 12 - Trust Issues

Chapter 12: Trust Issues

Papyrus had been very precise when he had called Grillby a fire-monster. The guy literally was a walking, talking humanoid-shaped flame. With glasses. And clothes on. _How did they not burn_?

Magic, duh.

Grillby's tent had been pitched up a short way outside of the camp. It was a few times bigger than the tent average, and its interior actually resembled McAnally's Pub. Sans was waiting for us inside, with four giant burgers lined up on the counter in front of him. He threw one of them at me once I had put Mandy down onto one of the stools. I took a bite from the burger and had a hard time not wolfing it down then and there. It was delicious.

Luckily, Mandy's ability to move really had returned and she was moving almost alright again, albeit a little stiff. She timidly asked if it was okay for her to take the burger, gladly biting into it after Sans had given her the permission.

Corbyn, the part-Asian kid, had also regained consciousness somewhere on the way to the camp. He had taken up to his new situation strangely well, and instantly grabbed the food in front of him the moment Papyrus let go of him.

Sam, the redhead, was still out of it. Grillby had provided a pillow and a makeshift mattress, where Papyrus had put him on for now.

 **"we'll leave them in your care, bro,"** Sans said. **"the human and i wanted to share a few jokes, so we'll be outside for a minute."**

The lie came out smoothly. This wasn't the first time Sans didn't tell the truth to his brother.

Papyrus was confused. "WHAT? BUT WHY?"

" **they're too much** _ **in-tents**_ **."**

"NYEH!" Papyrus bellowed. "FINE, GO OUTSIDE!"

With a last worried glance at Sam, I followed Sans out of the tent.

* * *

"Where is Frisk?" I demanded, the moment we were out of hearing range.

 **"somewhere else."**

" _Sans._ Don't drag this out."

 **"sorry, but i'll drag this out as much as necessary. it isn't like it has been in the underground. the kid can't reset anymore. if something goes wrong, there's no way back for us. we only get this one chance."** He chuckled, exhausted. **"it's weird having to care so much so suddenly, when nothing mattered for so long."**

I tried to sympathize with him and _not_ strangle him because he made everything so much harder than it already was. Then it hit me.

"Frisk can't reset anymore? How do you know?"

Sans eyed me suspiciously. **"it's a good guess. if they could, they'd have reset the moment they knew that i remembered. they're cowardly like that. pretty sure they don't want me to know that their death is more… permanent now. probably hope that i'd still find it pointless to kill them."**

"That's great!" I shouted, startling Sans enough to make him take a step back.

 **"what is?"**

Perhaps that would be a good angle – Frisk wasn't really a practitioner. Yes, the kid had been the one to turn back time – but it had been in a cut-off dimension, created by long-dead wizards. So, technically, _those_ guys had been the one messing with time, not the kid. Frisk had only pressed the button installed by them.

And if Frisk really wasn't able to reset anymore, then they didn't pose any threat whatsoever. That probably wouldn't convince the Merlin (that old fart liked to use executions as a precedent to reaffirm his authority) but it might be enough for the Gatekeeper, Listens-to-Wind and Martha Liberty. So basically everyone on the Senior Council with common sense. I was counting on old man McCoy for this automatically. With that, there would be a majority on the Senior Council overruling an execution order on Frisk.

Well. Rashid was a bit of a wild card, but I still placed my bets on this. If I gave a good enough speech to defend the kid in front of the Council, then I was sure it could all work out in the end. Frisk would never be able to become a full-fledged Warlock, they couldn't even use magic as far as I knew. Thinking back, that should have been a dead give-away to them not being able to reset anymore. There would still be the problem with Frisk's… _other_ issue, but that was something the Council didn't necessarily have to know.

 **"been** _ **real**_ **quiet, buddy."** Sans sounded nervous. I partly enjoyed unnerving the guy for once.

"I think I found a loophole," I said, and explained my train of thought to him. When I finished, Sans nodded slowly.

 **"that** _ **might**_ **work out. i'd have to take your word on that though, i don't know any of those folks."** He breathed out heavily. **"just one thing."**

"What?"

Sans looked up at me, this single time having his expression somewhat readable. First and foremost, there was suspicion, followed by anxiousness, fatigue and only a tiny, _tiny_ glimmer of hope.

 **"why would you do that? you told me your job was to catch kids like frisk. didn't take you for a stickler for rules, but still. there's no good reason for you to do this."**

"Of course there is," I said vehemently. "It's called decency. And hey – you can either work with me and try for the best outcome, or make it harder for me to help you. The Council _will_ get wind of this sooner or later, don't have any delusions on that. It's not a matter of if, only when."

Sans stared at me for at least a minute, until he suddenly collapsed to the ground. I cursed out in surprise and knelt down. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He lifted a hand defensively.

 **"i'm okay. just really worn out, so i relaxed just a bit too much just now. i don't take my naps anymore, that makes me** _ **bar-a-night**_ **."**

I snorted. "That one was tired."

 **"sure am."**

I couldn't help but feel bad for the poor guy. I sat down next to him.

"Thanks for the burger, by the way," I said, finishing it with a last bite. "It's really good."

 **"no prob. would be even better with tons of ketchup."**

"So…" I tried to get back to the less nice topics. "You're the only monster who knows about what Frisk has done, right?"

He nodded.

"Why don't you try and tell someone else?" I suggested, pushing aside the hypocrisy. The procedure of 'not telling other people stuff' was a very familiar concept to me. However, _I_ only did it to keep my friends and innocents from danger. And I was slowly stepping away from that habit, it had been nothing but inconvenient in the past. Most of my friends still got involved in whatever danger I was trying to shield them from anyway, just because they knew me. It had almost ruined Murphy's and my friendship. So now I had started to tell her everything I knew.

When it was part of her business.

Well, I told her most of the time.

I mean, I tried to.

It was a slow learning process, but I was getting there.

" **nope. won't do any good,"** Sans muttered, his eyes closed. So he _did_ have eyelids. For a second there, I had the strange desire of touching them and testing if they were made out of bone as well. I got over it. Back to giving the great advice I should follow more often myself.

"You think that now, but maybe-"

He interrupted me. **"if i do that, then there's one of two outcomes. first, they believe me. they get scared and/or sad, nothing gets accomplished. they're not going to be** _ **safer**_ **if they send the kid away, we'll only lose the sole human that could and would help us set foot on the surface. and if the monsters get angry and end up killing frisk? your kind wouldn't ever let us hear the end of it."**

The skeleton raised his hand, holding up two fingers, eyes closed again. **"second possibility: the others don't believe me. in their eyes, the kid has been nothing but nice ever since they got to the underground. worst case scenario: they'd try to keep me away from frisk. then nobody would be there to watch out."**

His smile faltered. **"thing is, i don't really believe the kid ever became evil or that they killed everyone because they just snapped. i think they did it out of boredom. that they had arrived at the point where they thought that nothing they ever did mattered, because they could reset it all anyway. i hate it, but i can relate to that."**

I blinked, stunned. "You do?"

He opened one eye and glanced up at me, barely hiding his guilt. **"why else do you think i let them kill** _ **literally**_ **everyone else they found before i finally stepped in? i could have tried to stop frisk hours before that. but i just hoped they would lose interest in that path on their own. it was hard to care about anything back then."**

I decided not to comment on that.

"If you're so hell-bent on not telling any other monster - why tell _me_ then?"

Sans's grin nudged up a little. **"you have no reason to tell the others, and even if you** _ **did**_ **, they definitely have no reason to believe** _ **you**_ **over the kid. don't count on me there, i would have** _ **no**_ **idea what you would be talking about."**

Sneaky little bastard.

"Back to the issue at hand, then." I said. "Where's Frisk?"

 **"they're-"**

But before Sans could give me an answer, he was interrupted by a childlike scream, coming out from Grillby's tent. The skeleton got up slowly.

 **"sounds like the third one just woke up."**

Together, we rushed back into the tent-bar.

Sam really _had_ woken up. And he was terrified. He had grabbed one of the bar's stools, and pointed the lower end towards Grillby – who calmly kept on cleaning a beer mug behind his counter – and Papyrus, who looked very concerned.

"LITTLE RED-HAIRED HUMAN, I COMMEND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO TRAIN YOUR STRENGTH! HOWEVER! WEIGHT-LIFTING MIGHT BE A LITTLE TOO MUCH FOR YOU RIGHT NOW! PLEASE, DON'T OVEREXERT YOURSELF!"

"Shut up, monster!" Sam screamed, his voice shaking almost as much as his arms did. Apparently he hadn't noticed us entering yet.

Mandy got up from her stool and carefully approached the scared boy.

"Calm down, Sam, nobody's going to hurt you here."

She looked at us, her eyes silently pleading for help. Sam noticed the distraction and followed her gaze, jumping backwards when he spotted Sans.

"The-the-there's _another one_!" he cried.

 **"hi kid.** _ **chair**_ **to put the shield down? c'mon, stop** _ **stooling**_ **around."** Now that Sans had relaxed a little, he was on a roll. **"you're gonna make the bar-** _ **tenter**_ **angry if you damage his stuff."**

"Don't drag me into this, Sans," Grillby said.

Sans chuckled. **"ya think the** _ **boil**_ **care? he's way too** _ **pan**_ **-icky. it** _ **s'tew**_ **bad."**

"You've never even had my stew, Sans," Grillby answered, not once looking away from the beer mug, inspecting it closely for any left-over smudges. Sans took a step towards Sam, who flinched and directed the stool's feet at the skeleton.

"S-stay away!"

" _ **heat**_ **to say it kid, but that thing won't help you. it's** _ **oil**_ **a waste of energy."**

"NOT YOUR COOKING-PUNS, SANS!" Papyrus shouted. "THOSE ARE THE WORST!"

 **"fine, i'll give it a** _ **roast."**_

"SANS!"

Sans shrugged, turned away from Sam and instead walked up and sat down next to Corbyn, who didn't pay any attention to the situation around him. Meanwhile, Mandy tried to approach Sam again.

"Sam, _please_. Put the chair down."

"SHE IS RIGHT, LITTLE RED HUMAN," Papyrus added, drawing Sam's attention towards him again. "IF YOU WANT TO, WE CAN STILL TRAIN YOUR WEIGHT-LIFTING AFTER YOU'VE EATEN! I'LL BE GLAD TO BE YOUR INSTRUCTOR!"

"Shut up, you _idiot_! You're driving me mad!" Sam screamed.

Sans tensed up, only turning his head towards the terrified child.

 **"i'd take that back if i were you, kid. he saved your life, but you're still not out of the woods. literally and figuratively."**

That struck a nerve with me. "Really, Sans? Threatening a scared child? When I'm right here?"

 **"i'm not threatening him. i'm just sharing** _ **in-facts**_ **. right?"**

So he _knew_ that Sam was infected. He hadn't said _a word_ about that before. My eyes narrowed.

"Then I'll state another fact. You threaten him again and I'll have Mouse fetch your legs."

My dog growled affirmatively from beside the counter. Sans stared at me, expression unreadable again. But before he could return something, Mandy jumped in, arms outstretched, trying to get between us.

"P-please. No fighting."

"What the hell, Mandy?!" Sam shouted from his end of the tent. "All of these guys are _dangerous_! Why do you care?!" He turned to Corbyn, who still didn't react to a single thing that happened. "And you, stop eating this stuff! What if it's poisoned?!"

Corbyn ignored him.

"I don't appreciate you slandering my business, young man," Grillby remarked.

"I don't care!" Sam cried. "You people _kidnapped_ us!"

"NOTHING FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH, LITTLE HUMAN!" Papyrus was hurt. "YOU CAN LEAVE ANYTIME YOU WANT TO!"

 **"yeah. be my guest, kid."** Sans lifted a finger and pointed towards the exit. The tent's cloth floated up slowly, opening it.

"SANS! STOP IT!"

Sans flinched at Papyrus's shocked voice.

"BROTHER, YOU'VE BEEN ACTING STRANGE EVER SINCE WE'VE LEFT THE UNDERGROUND! IS SOMETHING BOTHERING YOU? I'M DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT YOU!"

Sans avoided his brother's eyes and tried to grin even more. **"you know me bro, it's just me being a weir-** _ **dough**_ **."**

"SANS!"

The chubby skeleton was getting visibly uncomfortable. He got up from his stool and walked towards the exit. **"welp, would ya look at the** _ **thyme**_ **. i** _ **butter**_ **get ready for the nap i wanted to do earlier."**

Papyrus tried to step in his way. "SANS! YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY THIS TIME, I-"

And Sans was gone.

Papyrus stared at the empty spot where his brother had stood just a second ago.

"HOW RUDE," he said. But he didn't sound as convinced as usual.

An awkward silence filled the room, only disrupted by Corbyn's continued munching. Trying to start a new conversation, I nodded at him.

"Feeling better?"

Corbyn wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Much better. This food heals you from the inside, right?"

"Oh my _god_ , Corbyn!" Sam shouted. He still held that stool up. "This isn't one of your stupid comics!"

"But he's right," Mandy said. "Papyrus said the same thing before."  
"I don't _care_ what that idiot said!" Sam screeched.

Mandy's face grew tired. She walked up to the boy, lifted her hand and slapped him right over the face.

"Don't call him that! Be thankful!"

 _Her_ behavior seemed a lot more off than his, to be honest. A second later, Mandy realized that herself. She clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh! I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Sam stared at her, flabbergasted, holding his cheek, more out of surprise than pain. "What the – _why_?!"

"Sam," I said. "Listen, these guys are good people. You don't need to-"

"I don't trust _you_ either!" The boy screamed and aimed the stool-legs at me. "You brought us here! Your dog attacked Mandy! What if- What if you just _look_ human?!" His eyes teared up, the stool shook in his hands until it fell to the ground with a loud, clattering noise. Sam started sobbing. "I… I wuanna go home!" Everything after that turned into incomprehensible bawling. The atmosphere turned awkward again.

Luckily, not for long. There was the sound of little feet running towards the tent, followed by Amy sticking her head inside, black pigtails dangling back and forth.

"Papy! There you are, I-" She broke off. "Sam? Mandy? Corbyn?" She looked confused. "Sam, why are you crying? Are you hurt?" She entered the tent.

Sam looked up at her, his eyes swollen already. "A-Amy? They got you, too?"

Amy frowned. "What do you mean, 'got me'? They found Noah and me a few days ago." Her eyes went back to Papyrus and widened. "Oh no! Papy, why're _you_ crying as well?"

"I AM NOT CRYING, L-LITTLE HUMAN!" Papyrus sniffled, clearly crying. "I JUST FEEL SO SORRY FOR _THIS_ LITTLE HUMAN! HE'S SO HOMESICK, YET SO BRAVE!"

Amy pranced up to him and almost poked her index finger into his right eye-socket. "But there are tears coming out of here."

"THAT IS HOW I EXPRESS MY SYMPATHY!" Papyrus explained, before he dropped the pretenses and started sobbing as well.

Amy patted him gently on the skeletal arm. "Aww. Poor Papy."

"Wizard," Grillby pulled my attention away from the two of them. "Go on, follow Sans. I'll deal with this."

I raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Grillby nodded. "This will take a while. So if you have any urgent plans, I suggest pursuing them now."

Finally someone you could talk to normally – and someone who could see through Sans, at least somewhat. "Okay," I said. "Thanks for the burger, by the way."

"Always happy to have a satisfied customer," Grillby replied with a polite nod.

I eyed Sam. I didn't like the thought of leaving him out of my sight for too long.

"Mouse?" I asked.

The dog grunted, eyes on the infected boy. He got me.

With the best possible watchdog in place, I left the tent, a little more assuredly.

* * *

I found Sans minutes later at my borrowed tent, waiting for me. Getting tired of his shenanigans, I didn't bother with a greeting and got straight to the point.

"For the third time: Where's Frisk." It wasn't even a question anymore, just annoyed repetition.

Sans stuck out his right hand. **"paps's and my house back in snowdin. we'll get there quicker if we take a shortcut."**

"Why haven't you just brought them back by now?" I said, confused – and a little suspicious. If I read him correctly, he wanted to teleport _with_ _me_ now. Letting him do that could drop me off just about anywhere, including the lava spot he had told me about earlier.

Sans chuckled. **"that's the expression of someone who has been double-crossed multiple times. don't worry,** _ **pal**_ **. i just thought that the three of us could have a nice, uninterrupted talk there without anyone listening in."** He held his hand out to me. I inspected it, now even more suspicious.

 **"c'mon now, don't just leave me hanging like that. trust has to come from both sides, right?"**

"A trusting wizard is a dead wizard," I murmured, and took his hand.

The skeleton studied me for a second, before turning around and taking a few steps in no specific direction, having me follow him.

It was unlike any sort of transportation magic I had experienced thus far. _We_ didn't move all that much, but with every step Sans took, the scenery around us changed. It was like walking inside a surrounding green-screen that flipped through its image projections while we were moving.

It was impressive. And certainly the laziest and easiest way of getting from A to B that I had ever seen. Needless to say, it was a perfect fit for the skeleton.

It took us five steps, and we arrived – at least that's what I got from Sans letting go of my hand.

I had a hard time not immediately wrapping my arms around my body. It was _freezing_ in here. It had been cold on the Mountain before, but here? Complete ice age. I shook my head at the slight feeling of nausea crawling around on my shoulders from the unusual transportation magic and tried to make a sense out of the new surroundings.

The first question that escaped my mouth was: "Why are there _socks_ everywhere?" I purposely ignored the miniature, self-sustaining tornado of trash in the corner. It was just _too_ obvious.

Sans didn't answer me. He stood next to something that I identified as a treadmill and stared at his room.

 **"i told them to wait here. should've known better."**

I frowned. "What?"

Sans grin grew dangerously stiff. **"they're gone."**

* * *

Frisk

Frisk had tried _hard_ to do as Sans had told them. But the skeleton either had gone a little overboard with trying to punish them, or just forgot about something pretty detrimental – the cold. Well, there _was_ the option that Sans had just left them here to freeze to death. But Frisk didn't want to believe that.

The child had been sitting on on the skeleton's mattress for about five minutes until they couldn't take it anymore and got up, trying to run on the treadmill to warm up their body. It didn't help much, other than making them cruelly aware of their stiffening clothes, soaked in creek water.

Eventually, every breath felt like a stab to their lungs so they got off the treadmill again and tried to find anything else inside the room that could make them warmer. They switched on the lamp, hoping that the lightbulb might create some heat – quickly remembering that Sans had swapped the burnt-through bulb for a flashlight, which had long since run down on batteries. Out of desperation, they tried to enter the trash-tornado, but only managed to get some scratches from that. Then they had opened the drawer, pulled out some clothes, put them on and crawled in.

It just didn't help. They were freezing, and now, in the dimness of the drawer, they felt a surge of exhaustion building up inside them. Sleep… all they wanted to do was sleep…

But something kept them awake this time. They realized that falling asleep could have… bad results. So they fought to get up again, got out of the drawer and wrapped themselves into another layer of Sans's clothing.

Sans had told them to stay _here_ , but he hadn't specified how big that area was. _Here_ could include the house. _Here_ could mean the whole of Snowdin Town. The desire for warmth beat the nagging bad conscience and Frisk waddled out of Sans's room, into the hallway. Hopefully, they visited Papyrus's room, but the hard-working skeleton had left his old place barren of anything that could have helped the child. Even the bed in the form of a racing car was gone. Had Papyrus carried it all the way to the Surface? Frisk managed to crack a painful smile. It was _so_ like him.

Frisk closed the door and went downstairs, going for the kitchen, counting on the oven's heat – and having to discover that Papyrus had taken his kitchenware with him as well. It made sense, him being an enthusiastic cook… even though it was a little questionable where Papyrus had been planning to get the power for his oven from in the Surface world. Nonetheless, it wasn't there, and the cold was further and further creeping under Frisk's skin.

They had no choice. If they wanted to survive, they had to go somewhere warm.

Slowly, but surely, they made their way through Snowdin. Now that everyone had left the town, it made uncomfortable memories crop back up.

"I-it's okay, " Frisk muttered, teeth clattering, forcing themselves to trudge forward through the snow. "Th-they're alive. They're j-j-just outside. They're n-n-not d-d-dead. Not. D-dead."

Much to Frisk's dismay, none of the town's homes could be opened, not even the inn, Grillby's old pub or the shop. Their vision started to get darker, and they had reached the point where they couldn't feel the cold anymore. Only one persistent thought kept them going. It almost felt like someone else was maneuvering them.

Then it came to them. Undyne's house! Undyne had a heat fridge, as illogical as that sounded. Frisk staggered onwards, into the direction of the Waterfall area.

In there, it was at least a little warmer – but the cold of Snowdin wouldn't let go of them. Clinging to their last thread of consciousness, Frisk made their way up to Undyne's house.

When they got there, it hit them like a brick.

 _Right._

Undyne's house had burnt down.

The remains of the house lay there, mocking the child.

Frisk gave up. Their legs couldn't carry them anymore. And the alluring thought of sleep lulled them into a cozy, warm feeling.

Just for a second. Only for a while.

The child dropped to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Harry

"You left Frisk _here_?" I repeated. Sans nodded. I had a hard time not to facepalm then and there.

"It's cold as hell in here! Did you at least give them a blanket or something?"

Sans froze, pun intended. **"oh. whoops."**

That didn't sound good at all. I gnashed my teeth. "What."

 **"we have a problem."**

"Why."

The skeleton scratched his skull hurriedly. He was getting stressed.

 **"the kid** _ **might**_ **just have been wearing wet clothing when i dropped them off here."**

"What?" I exclaimed. "Why?!"

 **"they had fallen into the creek."**

"Wha- you know what, I don't want to know. We have to find them before they die of hypothermia."

Outside the house, we discovered Frisk's tracks in the snow. From the looks of it, the poor kid had wandered around in the cold for quite some time until they had went off, away from the small town.

Briskly, I strode off, following the small footprints. Sans had visible trouble keeping up with me and at some point just started to teleport, reappearing on my way at random.

We lost the trail as soon as we left the snowy area and entered a new one – looking more cave-like, the mountain's walls were standing closer together, and the sound of running water surrounded us. Blue-ish light came from crystals and strange bright blue flowers around the pathways and on the ceiling. I put two and two together and recognized it as the Waterfall section of the Underground. I studied the visible dark water, running parallel to our pathway – something in between a creek and a narrow river.

"You think Frisk fell in there?"

 **"the kid knows their way around."**

That didn't answer my question.

"We'll need a dog to find them here," I said, "or do you happen to have anything I could use for a tracking spell?"

Sans eyed me pensively. He had grown very quiet ever since we had started to search for the child.

 **"** _ **a**_ **dog? why not yours?"**

"Mouse is keeping an eye on the infected boy," I replied gravely. Sans looked away.

 **"most of the royal guard's members are dogs. i'll go and try get one of them here."**

Before I could comment on that plan, an old, raspy voice joined our conversation from several steps away.

"And leave the wizard down here to his own devices? Bad idea, Sans."

We looked up ahead. A frail looking, ancient humanoid tortoise with a goatee, wearing stereotypical archeologist-clothing, tottered out from a sideway passage crossing our path. He had his hands folded behind his back and approached us in the typical elderly style.

 **"gerson. you're still here?"** Sans didn't sound surprised.

Gerson coughed. "Just because the king changed his mind about going to the Surface, I sure didn't. He's crazy if he thinks that this will play out well. We'll all die once the human populace gets wind of us."

He studied me carefully. "And looks like we already got the shit end of the stick. Welcome to the Underground, Wizard. Make sure to buy some souvenirs once you've slaughtered the entirety of my people."

"Only if you give me a discount," I said dryly. I wasn't going to let him shock me.

"Hah. I like him," the tortoise remarked. "Say what you want, Wizard. There's not much that can scare me at my age."

 **"don't worry, gerson,"** Sans threw in, **"harry's been nothing but super chummy ever since he's found us. we've got similar taste when it comes to grillby's burgers too – we're basically** _ **taste**_ _ **buds**_ **."**

That one was so bad that it made me cringe physically.

Gerson ignored the pun and smirked. "Great. Then you got lucky the first time. Pretty sure that if you ask him, he'll tell you that he's not a conventionalist among his peers. And anyways – a friendly wizard today can turn into your mortal enemy tomorrow." He stared at me indifferently. "I've learned that the hard way. Nothing against you personally, Wizard, maybe you're a great guy, I don't know. But this won't work out."

 **"hey gerson, you-"**

"Keep it to yourself, kid," Gerson interrupted Sans. "You weren't there during the war. _I_ was. And let me say this – when everything is over and our people are gone – I'll be here to say: _Told ya_. … oh yes. I'm gonna be _that guy._ "

I wanted to return something so bad, but there's no use debating with _that_ type.

Sans stayed silent.

"Nevermind that, lads," Gerson went on, almost joyful now. "Why're you here in the first place? Lookin for Frisk, if my old ears didn't play a trick on me? I think I've seen them not too long ago. Went towards Undyne's house. Didn't recognize them at first, they had your clothes on, Sans. Is that some kind of modern game I'm too old for to understand?"

 **"nope, but thanks for the info,"** Sans answered and shared a short look with me, offering his hand once again. I nodded and took it.

 **"see ya, gerson."**

"Only come back if you want to buy something," the ancient tortoise replied and turned around, waddling away.

We teleported, and arrived at a new place, in front of the remains of which must have been a weird-looking house once. I was reminded of the destruction of my apartment back in Chicago and winced at the thought of letting in whatever had caused this pile of scorched building blocks to burn down.

However…

 **"back to the dog plan?"**

Still no Frisk.

* * *

Frisk

"...-ey. Hey. HEY! Frisk! Wake up!"

It wasn't cold anymore. Instead, it was almost getting… _too_ warm. But the child felt heavy and weak. They tried to open their eyes, but their body wouldn't react properly.

"Forget it, kid, no dying on MY watch!"

Something flat and hard hit them square in the face, leaving a painful mark on their cheek. The noise echoed back, accompanied by arrhythmic industrial machine-sounds. The Hotlands? Frisk forced one of their eyes to open a tiny bit.

Undyne was bending over them, raising her hand for another slap across Frisk's face.

"WAKE UP, god damnit!" She sounded nervous.

"Mmn," Frisk said, to prevent another hit. Their tongue was numb and their jaw stiff.

Undyne's face lightened up instantly. "YES! You're awake! I did it! You're not dead!" She grinned. "We're even now, _nerd_. You know. For the water thing."

"Mmn."

She frowned. "What were you doing in front of my house? You almost froze to death! You're lucky I wanted to fetch my training dummy and take it to the Surface!"

"Mmn?"

She blushed. "Wh-what? Visiting Alphys? N-nah, I-"

"UNDYYYYNE! UNDYNE, WHERE ARE YOU?! IS THE LITTLE HUMAN OKAY?!"

Frisk tried to turn their head when they heard Papyrus's name, but – their body just wouldn't listen to them. It felt like they were lying _inside_ of their own body, unable to move anything but their eyelids and their vocal chords.

"We're over here!" Undyne shouted back. "Get your ass here, Papyrus, I gotta go and see the kids you talked about!"

Kids? There were even more children now?

Frisk heard someone hurrying towards them and once again tried to force their head to face Papyrus. Nothing. They were completely helpless. Something was wrong here.

Papyrus closed up to the child and Undyne, immediately bending over Frisk and taking them by the shoulders.

"OH DEAR! WHAT HAPPENED, LITTLE HUMAN? AND WHY ARE THEY WEARING SANS'S CLOTHES?"

Undyne got up and gave the two of them a quick salute. "See ya later, punks!" With that, she ran off.

Frisk tried to smile at the skeleton. Nothing happened.

"Mmn."

Papyrus nodded. "DON'T WORRY, LITTLE HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL DO HIS BEST TO GET YOU BACK UP!" He studied them pensively. "DO YOU WANT A TREAT? I MAY STILL HAVE SOME DOG BISQUITS WITH ME!"

Suddenly, Frisk felt their consciousness fade again. Their vision became blurry, their eyes closed.

"OH NO! LITTLE HUMAN!"

Drifting back into the darkness, Frisk thought that they heard their own voice give a reply.

* * *

Harry

In the midst of making a new plan, a strange noise came out of Sans's hoodie-pocket.

I looked at him. "What is that?"

The skeleton reached into his pocket and pulled out… a freaking _phone_.

 **"paps is calling me,"** he said, uneasy.

"You people have _phones_?" I blurted out. Sans's light-pupils darted up to me.

 **"yeah, why?"**

"How do they even _work_ here?"

It didn't make any sense. Not even the decades-old watch of the bus driver had been able to withstand the magical energies roaming around the mountain, and he had been miles away from the epicenter. Not to mention that the monsters were mostly _made_ of magic. Why didn't this thing short-circuit the second Sans used it?

 **"same way yours do, i guess? they only work in the underground and near the mountain peak though. and they've been pretty buggy recently. mine called undyne ten times one night. had a hard time convincing her i wasn't prank-calling her."**

The phone was still ringing, mocking me and my experiences with magic-electronic-mashups.

"Don't you want to pick up?" I said. Sans's grin grew nervous.

 **"do we have the time for that?"**

I sighed and started kneading my nose bridge. "Look, I don't care if you want to be an ass to your brother," – hearing that, Sans flinched – "but maybe something happened to the other kids. It could be important."

 **"fine,"** Sans said, unconvinced and picked up the call, holding the phone's speaker a few inches away from his face. **"eyyy, paps. what's rattling your bones?"**

"SANS! FINALLY YOU PICKED UP!"

Papyrus's voice was loud enough for me to listen in. I could just imagine him screaming into his phone.

"I FOUND THE HUMAN, SANS!"

 **"which one, paps? they've started to multiply recently."**

"THE FIRST ONE! FRISK!"

Sans's grip on his phone tightened slightly. **"oh. where are you?"**

"THE HOTLANDS! NEAR THE NORTHERN LAVA FALLS. THEY ARE WEAK, BUT ALIVE. THEY WANTED ME TO CONTACT YOU."

 **"did they now,"** Sans murmured.

"YES! IN FACT, THEY WANT TO TALK TO YOU! HERE YOU GO, HUMAN!"

Frisk's voice was much more quiet than Papyrus's, but thanks to the acoustics at the Waterfall area, it was still audible.

"Hello Sans." Their voice sounded calm, even lively.

 **"hey kid."**

"Sorry I left your room."

 **"heh. there's** _ **snow**_ **reason to apolog** _ **ice**_ **. my bad."**

"Oh _wow_ , thank you _so much._ " There was _no_ sincerity in Frisk's voice, whatsoever. But then again, Sans had almost caused the kid to freeze to death. It still sounded a little strange.

 **"ease up on the sarcasm a little, will ya?"**

"Sure. Sorry. Hey Sans, do we still have problems with the Wizard?"

Sans glanced at me and grinned.

 **"nah. harmless as a puppy."**

I snorted.

"That's a relief," Frisk said. Again – it didn't sound genuine. "Can you convince him to come here with you?"

I furrowed my brows. This was getting from strange to sketchy _very_ quickly.

Sans seemed to think so as well.

 **"… maybe."**

"Great! Thanks, Sans. See you then." The kid hung up on us.

Sans stared at his phone. **"fishy."** He typed in a number and let it ring.

…

Nobody picked up.

The skeleton put the phone back into his pocket.

"Who did you call?" I asked.

 **"paps."** One of Sans's pupils flickered, changing its color from the neutral white to a bright blue.

" **he** _ **always**_ **picks up."**

"Hey, wait a second before you overreact," I said, while having the nagging feeling that he was right to be anxious. "Maybe… maybe he just left the phone with Frisk while doing something else."

 **"and what would that be?"**

"Why should _I_ know?" I retorted. "Some skeleton business."

Sans stayed silent for a moment, then extended his hand to me.

 **"let's go."**

I didn't argue with him. Just going in was kind of my way anyways.


	13. Chapter 13 - A New Player Joins the Game

Chapter 13: A New Player Joined the Game

Frisk

When they came to, Papyrus had disappeared. Frisk got up, only to realize – they could move their body again! The child let out a cry of relief and wiggled their fingers, stretched out to their feet, shook their head. Something fell off of their lap and stopped their silent celebration. Frisk felt for the item and picked it up.

It was Papyrus's phone. The kid frowned and put it into their pocket. So he had left it with them? But why? What was going on?

 **"heya kid."**

Frisk flinched, almost out of habit. Then they looked back at Sans, approaching them, accompanied by… the wizard. The child breathed out in relief. So there weren't any problems anymore.

 **"so,"** Sans said, and Frisk froze at the tone of his voice. The skeleton was angry.

" **where's my brother?"** He stepped closer, looking down at them.

 _His eye._ _It was the blue eye._

The child started trembling and raised a helpless hand to shield themselves.

"I-I don't know. I think he left. I don't know why. Really Sans, I-" Their voice cracked. "I don't know."

Sans eyed them silently. Finally, the blue light in his eye-socket vanished and the neutral white pupil reappeared.

 **"you're not lying,"** he muttered, perplexed. **"i could've sworn..."**

"Frisk," the Wizard chimed in and crouched down next to them with a stern expression. Frisk's eyes went back and forth between the two of them, unsure of whom to focus on. "Do you feel cold?"

The child shook their head. "No, Mr. Dresden."

"Good, then let's make this quick. Are you still able to travel back to the past?"

Frisk tensed up and glanced at Sans. If the skeleton knew that they could no longer return once they died… maybe he would view it as an opportunity to finally get rid of them. It made sense, right?

 **"be honest, kid. just some friendly advice."**

Frisk winced and tried to make themselves as small as possible.

"No," they whispered, "I can't do that anymore."

The wizard exhaled and relaxed. "Good, you were right, Sans. That makes it much easier."

"Makes what easier?" Frisk asked nervously.

 **"you kinda broke some big wizard law with your resets,"** Sans said. **"big guy here says you'll be trialed and executed if other wizards see you as a threat."**

The child's face grew pale. "I will… what?"

" _And_ ," Dresden added, a little annoyed, "I'll do my best to prevent that. Just one thing – can you tell me how exactly that worked? It'll make for a clearer defense if I know what I'm talking about. Also… tell me _why_ you did it. Some of the old farts won't care about that. _I_ do."

Frisk avoided his gaze, although the wizard didn't ever really look them in the eye anyway.

Guilt and shame, bottled up for days on end, came to the surface and dragged them down.

"It… it'll only make sense if I start from the beginning, I think," they said slowly.

"Usually a good place to start from," the wizard commented; gentle enough not to come off sarcastic.

"I'll try to summarize it," the child said and took a deep breath, thinking of how to go on. Erratically, they began to describe the first moments after they had woken up, mentioning the encounters with Flowey, Toriel, and everyone after that. They left out Asgore's declaration of war against humanity, the six already dead humans, Undyne killing them the first time – those didn't appear to be the best info to share with the wizard. They also kept silent about Asriel. That's what the former prince would have wanted.

Frisk pretended to have only gotten the ability to reset after beating Flowey and going back to prior to the fight against the plant – as far as the wizard was involved, there was no need to tell him about them struggling against the King of Monsters.

While trying to keep up the composition of truth and lies by omission, Frisk noticed Sans's gaze on them. The skeleton looked… almost grateful.

Frisk described the dimensional gap and got to the point where Asriel (or Flowey, as they had told the Wizard) had almost completely torn down the Barrier, the point where it only needed a human soul to pass through to bring it down in its entirety.

"At the beginning, I did want to just walk through, but…" Frisk turned to Sans, feeling their head grow weak with shame. "Uhm… Sans, in one of the resets…"

" **go on."**

"I told you about a second _me_ , do you… do you remember?"

" **yes. you said another you just developed in your head and was talking with you after being in the underground for a while."**

The Wizard twitched.

Frisk pressed their lips together. "About… about _when_ it developed… I was lying about that."

" **i know."**

The child's eyes widened. "Then why didn't you… nevermind that right now." They shook their head. "I… the important thing is-"

Out of nowhere, their shoulders started shaking uncontrollably. Startled, Frisk tried to wrap their arms around themselves and calm down. It didn't work. Instead, a wide smile crept up on their face. Panic shot through their veins as they lifted their head to face the other two.

"S-something's wrong, I-I…"

They heard the muffled voice of the wizard trying to get through to them. But their ears felt like they didn't belong to them anymore. Once again, they sank back _inside_ of their body, feeling someone – some _thing_ else take control.

Somewhere, up in their head, they felt their vocal chords vibrate and their lips move, without any of their own input.

Paralyzing horror filled them when they realized who had just taken the wheel.

"Long time no see, _comedian_."

* * *

Harry

Frisk's entire demeanor changed in between seconds. Their nervous, fatigued face grew maliciously amused, their tense shoulders relaxed. The child leaned back and inspected the two of us with a wide smile.

I got up, took a step back and pointed my staff at the child.

"You're the 'other Frisk', I take it?"

"Great guesswork, Wizard, I can really see the detective," the child retorted smugly, and stood up as well – only to immediately faceplant. They struggled to lift their head and regarded Sans with a confident grin.

"Oh _come on_ , Sansy. I'm not even armed. I come in peace, see?" They fought back against the invisible pressure that kept them stuck to the ground, stretching their arms forward and showing their empty palms.

"There, look, _I'm sparing you_ ," the child said mockingly, immediately bursting into laughter. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

 **"not really my sense of humor,"** Sans said, flicking his wrist to the side. The child's body flew up and slammed into the mountain wall. Their giggling didn't stop. I grabbed the skeleton's arm.

"Stop it. This will only hurt Frisk, not the thing possessing them."

It felt weird having to be the one to hold someone else back. Usually it's the other way round.

"The 'thing's' name is Chara, thank you very much," the child said, sliding down the mountain wall until they sat down on the ground. They nodded in a mock-polite way. "Primarily known as the first child to fall into the Underground. Prince Asriel's dear playmate and adoptive child to the King and Queen. My titles further include 'other Frisk.' My physical body died approximately two hundred and forty years ago in earth's time, during the Colorado Gold Rush. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I've exorcised my fair share of ghosts," I said. "But you are ridiculously conscious."

"That's because I'm not a ghost," Chara replied, bored. "I guess my time down here and the... unique circumstances surrounding my death have turned me into something more akin to a demon, in the biblical sense. A relatively weak one, albeit, but human enough to have no problems staying around. Funny, right?"

Yeah, right. You're more than a millennium too early to declare yourself a Fallen – and you forgot to start off as an angel first. But nice try.

"So you're the one responsible for the… genocide timeline." I concluded.

"Nuh-uh," Chara negated. "I don't take responsibility for that, Frisk did that all on their own. I only provided… mental assistance. And the necessary bodily fortitude." They thought about it for a moment and shrugged. "Well, except for Papyrus. I took care of that one. Frisk just wouldn't do it on their own." Chara's grin grew even wider, coming eerily close to a Chelsea Smile. "Makes sense, right? Takes a demon to kill that precious soul. By the way, Sans-" They added happily. "Should I tell you his last words? You couldn't have heard them, after all." Their smile grew vicious. "Since you weren't there to protect him."

Pure anger built up inside of me and I wished I could have just thrown Chara against another wall, or into one of the wide chasms leading down to a stream of lava. It took effort to turn to Sans instead. The skeleton's light-dots had completely vanished and left him standing there with the empty, skull-y grin.

"Don't listen to them, Sans. They-"

 **"it's true,"** he mumbled quietly. **"i let him die back then. but we all got a second chance."** His voice became even lower. **"the question is…"**

He disappeared and popped up next to the child, startling them. Sans's eyes were back, one of them a gleaming blue flame and full of rage. His wrist flicked up again, damning Frisk's body to fly up to the ceiling. Forty inches long bones emerged from the ground, forming a square. The child fell back onto the ground, right into the middle, caged in. Two more bones shot up, pushing against Frisk's shoulder blades and pressing them against the front of the bone-cage. Sans stepped up to them and glared into their eyes.

" **where is he now?"**

"Wow, you sure know how to ask someone a question," Chara replied calmly. "I think I bit my tongue up there, Frisk will be really grateful." They let their head fall back and pretended to relax. "Don't go throwing a temper tantrum, Sans. Papyrus is okay. Harming your trading partner's family is malpractice."

 **"… what trade?"**

Chara let their head bob forward and grinned. "There we go. Just a second, Sans. We don't want to get interrupted." They looked at me and I immediately raised my staff.

"Creepy kids are cheap horror tactics," I said. "You come off half as scary as you want to be and double as cringe-worthy as you think."

"Agreed," Chara said. "I'm more of a creature-feature type myself."

Oh.

 _Chara_ had been controlling the Parasites.

I could've cursed myself for being so slow to get that.

The child, still pinned to the forefront of the cage, raised their arms slowly. I swore out loud and activated my Sight, awaiting the next giant insect-mutant to jump at me out of nowhere.

A part of me wished I had just fought blindly.

Everything around us – the floor, the walls, even some parts of the ceiling – was covered in that gooey liquid from the Caterpillar that had managed to flee earlier this day. I didn't even need to Look down at my feet to know that my shoes and part of my staff were smeared with it as well. The only thing that could be seen positively was the lack of maggots inside the regurgitated Caterpillar-spit. The responsible insect itself stuck to the wall next to Chara and wiggled its nasty bristles – not without self-satisfaction. The damn thing had grown since the last time I had seen it – now it was at least six feet long, and no less disgusting. But it stayed safe, using Chara's – or rather, Frisk's – body as a meat-shield. For now, it didn't seem to intend to attack.

The bigger problem were the other twenty Parasites, smaller ones, spread out over the area.

Something landed on my shoulder. Instinctively, I tried to whisk it off with my good hand.

Pain shot through my fingers and blurred my vision. I stared at my hand. A leech, about the length of my lower arm, stuck to my hand and sucked out… _something_.

"Oh no, you don't." I spat, shook it off and blasted it away with a fire spell before it could land on the ground.

 **"uh… what's going on?"**

"Don't move!" I shouted back, followed by another fire spell that grilled at least three Larvae that had been sitting in a corner.

Chara snickered. Two worm-like creatures came flying at me from opposite sides. I dodged the first and conjured up a magic shield along my staff, smashing it against both Parasites. One of them burst into multiple gooey splashes, one of which hit me square in the face. I Felt it _align_ itself to my cheek, like a second layer of skin.

The other slimy bastard had survived the hit and spewed a load of its insides onto the ground, before slipping into it – and dissolving inside the liquid. On instinct, I whirled around and Saw the same larva jump out of a puddle behind me and coming dangerously close to my neck. I jumped backwards and whacked it aside with the staff, still engulfed with the shielding spell.

 _Good._ Magic affected those things, and not just fire magic either. I had a chance with this.

"Having fun playing around with my pets?" Chara remarked.

"You'd be a failure of a dog owner," I replied, keeping my eyes on the remaining Parasites. "No manners whatsoever."

Chara chuckled. "You'll have to get used to their intimacy, Wizard."

Simultaneously, all the remaining Parasites started moving towards me – from every possible direction. I clenched the staff and rammed it into the ground.

"Vento Riflittum!" Several worms to my right were hurled back against the wall. Two of them shattered on impact. These smaller versions really were much weaker than the adult forms.

I gasped, fighting to retain my balance. This day alone had me use magic in fights more than the last few weeks had, and in combination with having to open my Sight constantly, I was kind of burning a little low. I felt my heart race, pumping adrenalin through my veins, pushing me to keep up with the threat. I forced up my will and brought up another spell.

"Flammamurus!"

It worked like I had hoped it would. The lava from below erupted out of the chasms in the ground, burning away multiple smaller creatures that had tried to creep up on me from below, along with the ones that had survived the reflecting spell earlier. Heat built up in the cave and made it difficult to breathe. I staggered forward, avoiding the puddles of molten rock and steam, focusing my will on the remaining five larva-state Parasites a couple feet from Sans. They seemed to have a hard time in the increasing heat waves, some of them already wrinkling and drying up by themselves.

I lifted my good hand.

"Fuego."

It didn't cost much energy, the spell almost pulled itself up on its own, nourishing on the brimming heat puddles around me. Fire, the size of a bowling ball, flickered up and I tossed it into the heap of squirming Parasites, leaving behind nothing but a tiny heap of ash.

I closed my Sight and took a deep breath, out of relief – immediately regretting it as the burning hot air filled my lungs and made me tear up.

"Looks like you'll have to start over with your breeding chamber," I snarled at Chara, whose expression had gotten unreadable.

Sans examined me with a concerned look. **"more invisible stuff?"**

I nodded. "All taken care of. For now."

The spot where the leech had bitten me before was still throbbing, the edges of it slowly swelling up, but I decided to leave it be at the moment. There wasn't anything I could do about it anyway.

"Let's get back to-"

The words got stuck in my throat. Something scratchy and heavy was wrapping itself around my leg. I forced my Sight to reopen, groaning from the headache that came with it. My Vision blurred, but it stayed clear enough for me to recognize the attacker.

"Shit. I forgot about you," I swore, frustrated. The Caterpillar crawled up on me with agonizing speed, dodging any of my attempts to grab a hold of it and throw it off of me. Its thick bristles glued themselves to my duster, and its face popped up next to mine. The damn thing was drooling again. I wanted to hit it with the staff, but it had tied my arms to my sides. I could do nothing but Watch, while one drool-thread started to expand and take _shape_. Another Parasite, a third of the Caterpillar's length, wriggled its way out of the layer of liquid and immediately went for my neck. My insides were churning out of pure disgust.

"You were saying?" Chara called from their makeshift cage. I didn't Look their way. For one, I didn't want to See their smug, true form right now, and two – I just couldn't focus on anything but the insect's head just an inch away from mine.

 **"whatever you're doing right now, stop it,"** Sans growled.

The child clicked their tongue. "You know – I've had enough of this."

I heard Sans gasp and tried to turn my head – but now that I _did_ want to Look, the Caterpillar's breed shot up in front of my eyes, its surface flatted and broadened out, completely blocking my View. I gave it an angry, defiant grin and pushed myself to close my Sight again. I still felt the two Parasites constricting my every movement, but at least now I could see what was going on.

The cage had disappeared, and Sans was several feet away from Chara, who cracked Frisk's head to both sides before stretching thoroughly.

"Let's not waste any more time," they announced, and pointed at me. "Wizard. One word, and I _will_ tell your new scarf to jump into your mouth, if that's the only way to make you shut up."

"When does that count?" I replied, almost out of habit. Chara smiled coolly.

"You wanna test it out? I don't mind, go on. Provoke me."

I did have various quips to throw back at them. But them asking for it took out all the fun. Plus, I really wasn't all that keen on having one of those Parasites inside me.

"Oh, wow. I would've bet on a retort. You surprise me, Wizard," Chara said, unimpressed. "Well then, let me establish my point."

They turned back to Sans, who eyed them anxiously.


	14. Chapter 14 - A Deal

Chapter 14: A Deal

"When Frisk came down to the Underground, most of the Monsters from the war against humans had long since died," Chara began, leaning back on the cave's walls. "And the rest of them knew what they knew only from retellings of those times – leading them to believe that monsters and humans were entirely different. Opposites, even." Their smile twitched up a little. "But I disagree. Aggression and pacifism. Sloth and ambition. Pride and humility. Greed and generosity. Envy and comfort… Monsterkind and humankind can both show strong examples of all those things, of anything, really."

They pushed themselves away from the wall, walked half a circle, showing their back towards Sans – completely confident.

"The only _real_ difference is that monsters are all so… _laughably honest,_ " they continued. "Aside from you, Sans, none of them could ever actually deceive a human. Even if they tried, they would be blatantly obvious about it. And that's exactly the reason why I like them a little more." They turned around to the skeleton. "I'll say it again. I came here present you an offer, _Sans_."

" **sounds horrifying enough,"** Sans remarked sardonically.

"Ahahaha, you're sooo funny," Chara grunted. "No, it's your lucky day, Sansy. I'm offering an alliance."

I froze. What?

" **you. as an ally. you really ought to work on your jokes, kid."**

Chara turned around again, now facing the skeleton directly. "Haven't you noticed something, _comedian_? This whole time, I haven't had my pets possess even _one_ monster. And not for lack of ability; it's because I'm on _your_ side. Well, kind of."

" **not convinced."**

"Hear me out first, will you?" Chara said impatiently. "I know humanity. This will _never_ work out the way most monsters hope. Gerson knows it. Asgore knows it, but ignores it. Humans like to think about themselves as the _one and only_ self-aware species on this planet. And they don't like to share. They hardly even do that amongst themselves, so why would you think that they would share their standing with a species of roughly five-hundred people that suddenly turns up out of nowhere? They'd barely leave your dogs alive. It's always been like that for the weaker party."

Sansdidn't have an ounce of confidence in his voice when he answered.

" **the wizard didn't just blast the whole camp away when he got here. pretty sure he and frisk aren't the only humans who possess some form of tolerance."**

Chara chuckled. "Of course not. But they're far from the majority. That's why you will all _lose_. I mean, Frisk and I tested it. None of you – except Undyne and you, maybe – could even best a freaking _child_. Granted, I helped, and they had multiple chances, but how exactly do you think this will play out against someone that's actually strong?"

Now that they were talking, I could see the parallels to a Fallen. Sure, it lacked Lash's graceful way of annoyingly persistent persuasion, and they were getting a flat-out F on flattery, but it was definitely somewhere up there.

" **you're talking to the wrong guy here, kid,"** Sans muttered. **"i've never been the optimistic type. and i don't make the decisions."**

Chara took a step forward. "I _know_. And I know you know I'm right."

Sans didn't answer.

"That's where _I_ step in," Chara went on. "I'd like to even it out a little. Give your kind a hand. A little something to reward Tori's and Asgore's kindness when I was still alive." They raised Frisk's hands. "Give me a little more time, maybe a small city, and I'd have an _army_ of the things the Wizard was fighting a moment ago at my disposal. Normal humans wouldn't even _see_ them. Just like you, they wouldn't be able to do _anything_ about it."

" **maybe you don't remember, but i'm not a fan of genocide,"** Sans said.

"Oh, _don't you worry your little skull_ ," Chara snickered. "I'm not proposing to kill humanity. But with them, you have to negotiate from a position of _power_. I know that, you know that, and if your wizard friend is honest, he'll agree."

The problem was – they weren't completely wrong about that. Didn't make their plan any less horrible or any more valuable.

 _We don't negotiate with terrorists._

"The only ones who would be able to do something about my new pets would be the other wizards," the child admitted. "But as fortune would have it, they're currently a little… preoccupied. If we completely luck out, they'll all be wiped out in their current war anyways." The demon-child sneered at me. "Of course, an alliance with me means making _him_ an enemy. And I'm gonna be honest here – he _definitely_ is the more trustworthy one."

Taking back the comparison with the real Fallen. Chara would make a very bad salesperson.

"I know the type - give him one, maybe two months and you two would be good enough buddies for him to go through hell and back for you. I'm not even going to _claim_ that you can trust me. _You know better than that._ "

" **sure do."**

"The thing is – unfortunately, he's also the weaker one of us." Chara said, feigning pity. "At least when it comes to relations. I mean, what is he gonna do when his Council declares your kind a threat, precisely _because_ you can be eradicated so easily and without any repercussions? They can kill off some defenseless monsters and then give themselves a pat on the back for the good work. Go on, ask the wizard. That's _totally_ a thing they would do."

Depended on the paranoid ass in question. Some would, some wouldn't, most wouldn't care either way.

"I don't have anything that binds me. I don't care about anything or anyone, safe for a handful of your kind. I can just erase anything that becomes a threat, without even one monster having to fight. Doesn't that sound like a more stable support than one puny wizard?"

The kid was majorly overestimating their strength if they really thought that nothing would be strong enough to oppose them.

"Besides, even though he is the more trustworthy one – can you be really sure that he'll stay on your side after he knows that _Asgore has killed six innocent humans when the Barrier was still up?_ Oh, and what about Undyne killing Frisk in their first timeline? What about-" They lowered their voice dramatically. " _Your_ little 'warnings?'" Chara cleared Frisk's throat and imitated Sans's voice. "'if i hadn't promised toriel to watch out for you – you'd be dead where you stand.', was it? Hah! Fun times. Frisk hadn't even done anything bad up to that point." They gasped and put their hands over their mouth. " _Whoops._ He wasn't supposed to _know_ _that_ , right? Oh, me and my blabbermouth."

* * *

Sans stayed silent. So it was true.

So _that_ was what Asgore and the others had been hiding from me.

To be honest, aside from Asgore's killing spree, most of it didn't even surprise me that much. It _had_ to be on the worse side if they were trying so hard to keep it secret. And when Frisk had told me about the point in time where they got the power to reset, I had had a feeling that they weren't telling the entire truth.

It still made me angry when I thought of the cowardly behavior Asgore had shown towards me before. He would have to answer for that. I would make sure of it.

As for the others… Undyne was a little tricky. If she really had killed Frisk, she wouldn't remember it because of the reset. Plus, like with Frisk, her victim had come back to life and didn't hold a grudge. I wasn't sure where to put her. And Sans… well. Him threatening potentially dangerous individuals (even though I had no idea how Frisk had initially fit into that category) wasn't anything new.

"What, not going to answer in front of your new _pal_?" The child pointed at the skeleton with genuine contempt, their speech growing more rapid and spiteful with every word. "Not even trying to justify any of that? No 'we all had our own reasons for doing what we did.'? Oh _right_ , defending others _isn't your thing_. Well then, I'll quickly review those 'good reasons' for you and our audience, shall I?"

Listening to them now made it hard to believe that they were actually on the Monsters' side.

" _You_ didn't want another human to get to Asgore because they'd either succeed in killing the Monster's beloved king or because _you_ didn't want Frisk to find a way to break the Barrier. But eh, _screw_ _explanations_ , they take away from your precious nap-time, right? Undyne initially acted on Asgore's orders and life-long anti-human propaganda, so her justifications might actually count for something, especially since she gave the kid a chance afterwards. And the king? He… wait, this is great!"

Suddenly, they turned to me again. "Wizard! Pretty sure nobody told you this either, so listen well: in the right circumstances, every single one of their species can take a human soul out of the owner's body. Even better: they can implant it in themselves and become more powerful from that. Best part? Even if the human belonging to that soul dies, the monster can keep it! Now combine everything and you get this: Asgore stored the souls of the six humans he killed and was waiting desperately for a seventh one. Had he gotten Frisk's soul as well and absorbed all seven human souls, he would have become something akin to a _god_. Now," Frisk's eyes were wide open, and Chara's expression shimmered right through. "What do you think were his plans after that?"

I stared at them in disbelief. _Fine_ , I hadn't seen _this_ coming.

And Sans still wasn't denying a word of it.

"You are _not_ _a judge_ , Sans," Chara said coldly, turning back to the skeleton. "You are a pathetic, depressed, lazy comedian, and above all – a hypocrite."

They stepped up to him and patted his arm. "But hey, the good thing is – _I don't care about any of that_. Your new friend, however…" They sneered at me. "What do you think, Wizard? Are those the people you are willing to fight for? And if _that_ hasn't convinced you yet – I've got many more stories to tell you."

The things they had told me _did_ make it hard to keep up my relatively positive picture of the Monsters I had built so far. Especially with Asgore, there was barely any good point to him anymore. _However:_

I like to see people as individuals, not as part of a group. A king's crimes do not speak for his subjects.

And Sans, despite his flaws, was _not_ a bad guy.

Having to get all of this information from the little prick annoyed me to no end; and their condescending, self-righteous way of talking had long since passed the limits of my patience. Most importantly: I hated it when people wanted to tell me what to think.

"Does that mean that I can talk again?" I replied in a mocking tone. Sans's shoulders twitched.

Chara's – or rather, Frisk's – face fell.

" _No._ "

I grinned. "Why are you asking me then?"

"It was a rhetorical question," Chara hissed. Apparently they had hoped for a different outcome. Too bad for them, I had experience with _real_ fallen Angels. Easiest trick to defy them? Be stubborn.

 _Really_ stubborn.

"You need to make that more clear if you try to use 'divide and conquer'-tactics," I said. "Besides - D-minus on your whole show. General idea was good, but execution needs much work. You're not supposed to make one party feel bad for the other because you keep talking them down."

"Got any more of those smart comments? I sure hope not," Chara grumbled.

No regrets. This had to be done.

"Of course I do. I've become a teacher recently. But I wouldn't wanna _lesson_ your enthusiasm."

Chara's expression grew irritated. Sans snorted.

Worth it.

The Parasite around my neck loosened its grip and I pressed my lips together, determined not to let it go in.

On to hoping that Sans wouldn't be swayed by Chara's words.

* * *

" **you know, kid…"** Sans finally said, **"there's something that's been bugging me."**

Chara sent me a last annoyed glare out of Frisk's face. "What is it?"

" **why even** _ **ask**_ **me? if you're so hell-bent on helping us, why don't you just do it?"** Sans glowered at Chara. **"there's obviously something you need me for. something i can do that you can't. so what do you want?"**

"That's why I like you, Sansy. You're the only one of your species with a _brain_. Ironic, because you literally don't have one." The child giggled at their own joke. Sans shrugged.

" **i've heard better.** "

"It's easy, really. Frisk's body just isn't made for this job. They're too weak, they will age at some point, and they've kind of grown on me, so I don't feel that good about using them this way. Most importantly, however – they do not possess magic."

I could already sense this going in a bad direction.

"Long story short – I want another body to possess. One that ages decisively less quickly. One that has battle experience. One that _does_ possess magic."

Oh _fantastic_. Just great.

"Taking over a soul requires much work. First, I have to get past the physical barrier, and after that, it's an endless tug of war over the soul between me and the mental opposition of the host. Back when Undyne first killed Frisk, I used that chance to move into their body, while it was just an empty vessel. Even with Frisk being a child, it took me three years to finally get them into a position where their _mental_ barrier was flimsy enough for me to break it down and getting all the control I needed. And that still was only possible because we were in the Underground, where I had all the time in the world. If, however…" Chara's tone softened considerably, trying to sound… tempting, I guess. Doesn't work all that well with a child's voice though, just comes off weird.

"If, however, the soul were to be _outside_ of the body, neither the physical nor the mental barriers would be an issue anymore. The soul itself can't do anything on its own, its entire job is just _to_ _be._ Taking it over would be a matter of seconds." Their expression grew bored. "I think we can drop the pretenses – I want to switch into the wizard's body."

Oh _come on_. Not _again_.

"But I'm pretty sure he's mentally strong enough to just block me off for the rest of his life. And then what do I do?"

Sans stood completely still. **"and you can't take a soul out of a human's body."**

Chara smirked. "Exactly. _Really_ need a monster for that one. And I got myself the best one for the job."

Sans's chuckle was void of any joy.

"Thanks for telling us your evil plan in all its details, by the way," I remarked. I had felt how the Caterpillar's breed had distanced itself from my face in the meantime, and also sensed how it hurried back.

The child shook their head. "It's not an evil plan. It's a 'the ends justify the means' plan. If anything, it's Machiavellian."

Too bad for you, it won't work. There was no way that…

Sans?

The skeleton had turned around, facing me.

 **"give me a minute, kid."**

Was he _serious_?!

Chara looked as surprised as I was, but quickly hid it behind a wide smile.

I observed Sans approaching me, unreadable once again. He stopped, reached forward and put his hand on my solar plexus.

 **"would you lend this to me for a second?"**

I shook my head vehemently. Was he _actually_ just going to betray me here and now?

Sans chuckled. **"welp. too bad. sorry."**

Then he took my soul.

* * *

It was a very strange and uncomfortable feeling, like having your tongue pulled backwards into your throat, only less painful. The second my soul left my body, I knew I wanted it back in there.

And that was about the only desire I had. The rest was gone together with my soul. It left me feeling empty, apathetic, annoyed… but only at Sans. I didn't care about Chara anymore. I didn't care about the monsters and/or the humans anymore. Nothing. Just steadily increasing anger at Sans for taking what was _mine_ , and _only_ mine.

My soul, shimmering in a bright red, floated in front of Sans, who blocked it completely from Chara's sight.

Staring at it, I slowly grew aware of another feeling – coming from _outside_ my body but still being _mine_. Somehow, my soul was sending its emotions back to me. Of course. It was _my_ soul. It was still connected to me.

As soon as I noticed that, the transmission's strength shot up tenfold.

It was like having to listen to two different types of music at the same time at full volume, and about five times as annoying and confusing. I closed my eyes, trying to get a hold of it, but that only made it worse.

Eyes back open, my body's channel added anxiety to the whirlwind of opposing emotions when I remembered what was to happen next. I looked at Sans, who-

took the soul and absorbed it in his _own_ body.

… what?

Immediately, yet _another_ stream of semi-consciousness was sent to my mind, blowing away any last admissions from my body. It left me with my vision darkened, only truly aware of the sensations of the soul.

I admit, it was considerably less confusing. I still wished I could block it off.

My soul sent me Sans's thoughts, his worries, his intentions, the general state of his mind… and by Merlin's stupid old condescending face, I wanted to shut off the connection right then and there.

How was this guy even _standing_ anymore? He hadn't slept the last six days. Granted, I could sense the power-up he got from my soul, and that was nothing to laugh at – but Sans was so tired and fatigued that it almost dragged me down with him, and I didn't have that much energy anymore either. Adding his growing anxiety and feeling of helplessness, fear of making the wrong choice and damning everyone to the mash didn't help. He _really_ wasn't cut out for these kinds of situations.

 _And_ he was still unsure of what I would and could do. Part of him was afraid I would just take over. In his defense, it felt like if I tried, I could do it.

 **/welp, here goes nothing./** His thoughts echoed through my mind. **/so this is what it feels like, huh? weird./**

He wasn't a fan of it either, I could tell. And I could also tell that he had actually considered Chara's offer before taking _this_ path of desperation, and that he felt guilty because of it.

He wanted to use my abilities to either fight Chara or get rid of the Parasites holding me in place, and get away as quickly as possible. Some part of me was surprised that he hadn't just bailed on me.

 **/hey, uh… does this connection work both ways?/**

I sighed. I wasn't sure if my body actually did it, I just felt like sighing.

/It does./

This wasn't as deep as a soulgaze, but it was still pretty invasive.

" _Sans_. What the hell are you doing?"

I turned my head towards the kid and simultaneously felt how Sans saw my movement. This was making me nauseous, additionally to having my headache return in all of its glory.

"I mean – I knew you'd try to stop me somehow. After all I did to you, after I basically _told_ _you_ that I was the one who killed your brother, you would never work with me. But what exactly do you think this is going to accomplish?" The self-proclaimed demon-child was genuinely confused. "Do… do you want to use his power to protect the monsters yourself? No, that isn't like you, and besides… _wait_. You _do_ know that the more determined soul calls the shots, _right_?" Their confusion turned into glee. "Oh, this is hilarious! You finally make me laugh, comedian," they giggled. "Hey, Wizard! What do you think? Wanna take over? He took your soul, surely you're a little miffed about it?"

I didn't answer.

 **/…/**

/I won't./

 **/oh, okay. … so, how do you see the invisible things you fought before? i'll need to do that./**

/You want to use the Sight? _And_ fight when you're using it for the first time?/

 **/… doesn't work that way, huh?/**

/It's too overwhelming at the beginning. Everything you See stays with you for the rest of your life./

 **/being you sounds awful./**

I snorted mentally. /Says you./

"Hey. You two done chatting?", Chara chimed in.

I felt the anger rush up in Sans. The skeleton raised his arm and snapped his fingers. A giant skull, resembling one of a dog mixed with one of a goat, appeared out of nowhere, opened its maw and shot out a freaking laser beam, drilling a deep hole right next to the kid. It disappeared as quick as it had popped up.

 _What?!_ What was _that?_

 **"be quiet, kid,"** Sans growled. In the depths of his mind, I could feel the shapes of a new plan building up – a plan Sans himself apparently didn't like very much. It wasn't clear enough for me to grasp it.

Chara snickered. "Or what? You'll keep vandalizing the wall? You can't kill me, you'd only kill Frisk! You can't threaten me, you _idiot_!" Their voice grew heated. "I think you misunderstand, Sans. Like I told you, you need to be in a position of power if you want things to go your way. And you know what? Again, _I told you_ , I _knew_ you'd try to screw me over somehow. Which is why I've come prepared."

Chara crossed Frisk's arms and glanced at one of the hollows of the cavern's wall. A few seconds passed by, then – Papyrus was dragged out by something invisible.

Sans flinched. I groaned mentally. _How many_ of these Parasites did this kid _have?_

My soul noticed how Sans's optic reception changed. Suddenly, facts about Papyrus were transmitted to my mind.

 _*Papyrus. Currently unconscious. Unharmed. Dreaming about own cooking show._

Thanks to my connection with Sans, I instinctively knew that he was 'checking' on his brother. The ability still caught me off guard.

"Like I said, he's okay. Aren't you glad?" Chara said haughtily. "We don't want to change that, do we?"

The skeleton glanced at the kid.

 _*Frisk. Devastated, plagued by something._

 _*Wearing three extra layers of clothes, cushioning them from damage._

So he couldn'tsee Chara with it. Too bad, he-

 _*LV 1, EXP 0. 13/20 HP. 10 AT, 10 DF (+5). Harmless for now._

… What?

 **/welp, now** _ **that's**_ **obviously wrong./**

What?

/What?/

 **/part of the judgment process./**

/LV? EXP? Seriously? Is this some kind of game?/

 **/no./** Sans's mental voice was icy.

My face put on a frown on its own.

/Did you use this on me at some point?/

 **/…/**

He didn't need to reply directly. Although he tried to suppress them, his memories turned up and gave me a very detailed answer. He _had_ 'checked' on me, the very second I had met Undyne and him for the first time.

* _Human, Wizard. Neutral, but trigger-happy. Judgmental, but can be reasoned with._

 _*Tired from hiking. Caught a cold. Slight temperature. Needs something to eat._

 _*LV 30, EXP 450,230. 175/200 HP. 400 AT, 300 DF._ _ **Do not take lightly**_ _._

I didn't know whether to be flattered or offended.

* * *

"Sans. Just standing there won't help your brother," Chara remarked impatiently. They lifted their hand a few inches, and Papyrus's expression changed from peaceful to uncomfortable. "There's your last chance to do the right thing."

 **/…/**

Sans's new idea shaped up, becoming clearer every second. The more I understood, the less I liked it.

/Wait, Sans, this is-/

Papyrus let out a quiet whimper. Sans winced and raised his hands.

 **"stop it already, you've won."**

Chara smiled and stretched out their hand.

"The wizard's soul. Now."

/Sans, don't do this./

 **/i'm kinda short on options./**

Sans slowly moved forward, struggling with every step. Inches before Chara, he came to a halt.

 **"let my brother and the kid go."**

Chara's grin was brimming with madness. "Oh? What about yourself?"

The skeleton snorted. **"yeah right, as if you'd let me live."**

The child giggled. "Fine, you got me. But don't worry – I'll take good care of them."

I cursed silently, trying to get my body to step in. The Caterpillar constricted even more, making it even harder to breathe. These past few days had left me way too passive. It was agonizing.

Sans closed his eyes. A soul floated out of his body, glowing in a sharp blue.

/Sans!/

There was no answer.

Chara raised Frisk's eyebrows. "So the wizard's main trait is integrity. That's rare." They grinned. "A shame, really"

A hint of suspicion entered their eyes, as they shot up to Sans again. "Just so you know – if I take over this soul, destroying it won't get rid of me. It would only kill the wizard. I can always go back to Frisk's – or even go for your brother's. I could just slip right through his ribs and into his head, and with his mental… _aptitude_ , it wouldn't take long to get to his soul. I'm sure you wouldn't want that. So don't pull anything stupid, comedian."

Sans snorted weakly. **"why so hesitant?"**

"Because this reminds me of the time when you spared Frisk and stabbed them in the back," Chara replied, eyes narrowed. "It's a little too easy."

"Listen, kid." Sans's voice became frustrated. "You've been playing around long enough, don't you think? Here's the soul, you have all the cards, just get it over with."

Chara studied him for a second, and their doubts slowly disappeared.

"Yes. There's nothing you can do. Well then."

They stuck Frisk's hand onto the shimmering soul. The child's body relaxed and fell to the ground.

Everything after that happened in a flash.

The blue soul Chara had entered flipped upside down and turned white. Sans grabbed it, shoved it into his body and flung out my _real_ soul. Gasping, he heaved a small fountain of lava out of the chasm next to my body, burning parts of my skin, but most importantly scorching the Parasites clinging on to me. The Caterpillar loosened its grip, trying to avoid the molten rocks and the steaming heat. The ground started shaking – having lava come up from below so often had made it unstable.

My soul shot back into my body, bringing back every sensation I could feel with their usual intensity. With my exhausted remaining energy, I conjured up another shield spell, managed to slam it against the Caterpillar and finally breaking free of its hold. I clutched the larvae at my throat and ripped it off, throwing it into one of the chasms. I didn't know if it fell in or not, I didn't bother opening my Sight. Instead, I staggered forward, falling into a sprint. I grabbed both Frisk and Papyrus.

Then I looked at Sans.

For a split of a second, our eyes met. He shrugged apologetically. And disappeared.

I cursed loudly and started running, dragging my unconscious ballast with me, dodging splashes of lava, escaping the collapsing area. My lungs protested harshly, my legs almost gave way, but I kept on rushing along a pathway I didn't know. It didn't matter. I just had to get myself and the other two to somewhere safe.


	15. Chapter 15 - My Enemy's Childhood Friend

Chapter 15: The Childhood Friend of My Enemy

Frisk

Light. Frisk felt light, as if something that had been dragging them down for years had been lifted from them. It was wonderful.

The next thing they felt were the burn-marks on their hands and face – and bruises on their back, along with… had they bitten their tongue while they had been asleep?

Asleep? When had they gone to sleep? They couldn't go to sleep; they had been talking to the wizard and Sans, and then…

 _Chara._

Frisk opened their eyes wide, screaming.

"Sans?! Mr. Dresden?! No, this can't-"

The kid stopped, recognizing their surroundings. They were lying on a cushion, in a room with pale green tiles covering the floor and part of the walls. There was a giant monitor, switched off, and a messy desk with a computer next to it, followed by a fridge and a bag of dog food, half full.

They were in Alphys's, the Royal Scientist's, laboratory. The newer one.

"F-Frisk!" Alphys stumbled towards them, relieved. "Frisk, you're awake! I-I was so worried!" The yellow lizard crouched down in front of the child and examined their face, then their eyes. She seemed to be more on edge than usual.

"Frisk, _darling_. You've given us both quite a scare, my dear," a flamboyant, metallic voice remarked from the other end of the room. "Besides, what were you thinking, putting on those unfashionable clothes on top of your own. Looked terrible, darling, I got rid of the surplus ones for you."

Frisk glanced at Mettaton, Alphys's robot and the Underground's entertainer, and managed to crack up a smile. After Alphys had come clean about her tests with the souls of dying monsters, some of the families of those failed experiments had ostracized her, leaving her in the laboratory. Since then, she had been working on a solution to reverse the horrid effects that her trials had had on her patients. Many others of the monster's relatives had decided to forgive her, as she had only tried to help their loved ones in the end. Mettaton's decision to help Alphys out certainly was beneficial for her, since he was such an influential figure. He and Undyne, who had recently become her girlfriend, were Alphys's source of motivation and kept her away from… dark thoughts.

"I would _love_ to come over as well, Frisk. However, if I get any closer to the wizard, my circuits go crazy. It's quite bothersome, really," the robot, modelled after an effeminate popstar, added.

 _Wizard._ Frisk's heart stopped for a second when they recalled Chara's deal with Sans. The child whirled around on their cushion, staring at Mr. Dresden, who stood next to the lab's door. He was leaning on his staff, looking exhausted and irritated.

"Hey, kid. Hope that nap was good, we've got much work to do."

Had… had Chara gotten what they wanted? Were they inside the wizard's soul? Had they already taken over? Frisk eyed the tall man, worried – and a little scared.

The wizard seemed to understand and snorted, tired. "Don't look at me like that. It's not how you think it is." He raised the staff a little and poked something lying next to him – Papyrus.

"Now all that's left is for this guy to wake up. It would be only fair to include him."

"I still find your behavior quite rude, Mr. Wizard," Mettaton called from the other side of the room. It was like the two of them were standing on opposite ends of an invisible lake, neither trying to approach the other.

The robot crossed his arms. "You just barge in here with two unconscious people, don't bother explaining, and almost blow up my head. On top of all of that, you refuse to take off your coat."

"P-please Mettaton, s-stop it, d-don't make him angry," Alphys stammered and gave the wizard a shy smile – not daring to look directly at him. Mr. Dresden closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. He didn't bother giving an answer. Apparently, he had given up on that.

The lanky skeleton beside him twitched, drawing all of the room's attention to him.

"N-NYEH…"

Papyrus! Frisk quickly got up and hurried over to their friend, still regarding the wizard with a cautious eye.

"WH-WHERE… AH! HUMAN! AND TALL HUMAN! WHY ARE WE IN DR. ALPHYS'S LABORATORY?" Confused, he scratched his head while sitting up. "AND WHERE IS SANS? I WANTED A WORD WITH HIM!"

"Aah, finally," Mettaton said. "I, too, want to know."

"There s-seems to be trouble," Alphys added, "A-anything we could do to help?"

All eyes were on the wizard now. Frisk felt their mouth dry up when the man looked at them.

"Chara didn't get the one they wanted," he said simply. Frisk froze, realizing what that meant.

"CHARA? WHO IS THAT?" Papyrus repeated.

"Quit speaking in riddles, Wizard!", Mettaton complained.

"Chara… Where have I heard that name before…" Alphys muttered to herself.

This was bad. This was _really_ bad.

"We have to go!" Frisk cried, and grabbed Mr. Dresden's duster. "He won't-"

"Frisk! What in the world is going on? You're frantic, my dear." Mettaton's mechanical voice almost sounded concerned.

"Mettaton… I-I don't think they want us to know. I think, th-they want us to go," Alphys said, tugging at her robot's arm. He shook her off.

"I don't care! At this stage of integrating on the Surface, there is no room for dangerous secrecy! Besides, you can't just let yourself be thrown out of your own home!"

"Th-they're not throwing us out, they just want to talk in p-private."

"I sense something deeper behind this!", Mettaton shouted. "Drama! Conflict! Great ratings! I need to broadcast this! My fans will strive for the mystery I am about to uncover! Frisk!" Mettaton pointed briskly at the child. "Tell me immediately!"

"Mettaton!" Alphys cried. "Shut up, NOW!"

The robot came to a halt, staring at his creator in disbelief.

"We have to go to the old lab now anyhow," the lizard said, more quietly. "Come with me and help me feed the Amalgam- the patients." She waddled over to the elevator and gave Frisk, Mr. Dresden and Papyrus a last smile. "W-we'll be down there, if you need anything."

"As much as I like your newly found self-confidence, I'll stay." Mettaton said defiantly.

"Stars and Stones, we don't have time for this," the wizard mumbled to himself.

"Hey, tin-can!" he shouted.

The robot glanced at him arrogantly. "What is it, human? What exactly are you going to do about it?"

"I'll just give you a friendly greeting," Mr. Dresden answered coolly, stretching out his hand. "I hope your hard disk can handle it, I don't want to fry something important."

Mettaton's eyes narrowed, as he weighed his options.

"… Fine," he said after a while. "But I'll remember this, Wizard."

He followed Alphys into the elevator. A moment later, the two of them were gone.

* * *

Harry

"HUMANS! SHALL I LEAVE AS WELL?", Papyrus offered. He had stood up in the meantime.

Frisk nodded. "Yes, we-"

"No," I said firmly. "This is about your brother, you have a right to hear this."

Plus, we would probably need him.

The kid eyed me doubtfully.

"I CAN HEAR THE SECRET? WOWIE! ONCE AGAIN, I AM MOST GRATEFUL FOR YOUR TRUST IN ME, HUMAN!", Papyrus bellowed, overjoyed. "SO WHAT DID SANS DO? DID HE STAND YOU UP LATE? HE TENDS TO DO THAT."

"No, but he's going to die if we don't come up with something quickly," I replied simply.

"… WHAT?"

Frisk stared at me with wide eyes. Well, sorry kid, I wasn't going to play Mr. Nice Guy anymore. They had no problems with wanting to sacrifice a child for their freedom. Just because you are okay with that, I'm sure as hell not just going to shrug it off.

The kid put on a shaky smile. "D-don't worry, Papyrus, he's exaggerating…"

"Am not."

"Mr. Dresden!" Frisk cried. "Why are you doing this?"

"What?" I said unapologetically. "Aside from Toriel, all of these people had been fine with killing you and taking your soul less than a week ago; … even if it does feel longer for you. You don't need to baby any of them. Playing it down won't help anyone."

Frisk stood there, in shock, and slowly turned back to Papyrus. The skeleton's usual grin had vanished. Hearing about your family being in danger can do that to you.

"WE… WHAT? I AM SURE THE LITTLE HUMAN WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN… SACRIFICED, AS YOU SAY. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE!"

I gritted my teeth. "Pretty damn sure there hasn't. Sans basically confirmed it."

"Stop it, Mr. Dresden!" the child yelled. "He doesn't know!"

My mind shut off completely for a second or two. What?

"But he- wait, are you serious, kid? He tried to capture you, didn't he?"

"I… DID, INDEED," Papyrus said, uncharacteristically quietly. "HUMAN. IS THIS TRUE? WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN KILLED, HAD I SENT YOU TO THE CAPITAL?"

"It doesn't matter now, Papyrus," Frisk tried to placate the skeleton. "What matters is that we find Sans."

"… AND SANS KNEW, YOU SAY?"

"Looks like everyone _but_ you knew," I mumbled. Shit. I should've known; he really wasn't the type of guy who would even be _able_ to go along with such a scheme.

"WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME?" There was a mixture of concern and childlike confusion in Papyrus's voice, fueling my guilty feeling.

I scratched my cheek. "Look, I've misjudged you. Sorry. But we really don't have the time to go through everything from the beginning right now. Your brother is in danger, and we'll probably need you to help him out. That's why I wanted to keep you here in the first place."

Hell's Bells, don't make me feel bad again.

"I… I UNDERSTAND." Papyrus clenched his fists, and looked up, determined. "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!"

Oh _come on_ , be a little less… _you_. Would help my guilty conscience immensely.

I summarized the issue in as few words as possible, telling the skeleton everything that had happened from the point on when Sans and I had arrived after the phone call. Frisk, who had been conscious through the most of it – they remarked that Chara had let them watch from the inside – nodded from time to time, reaffirming my story.

"Sans thought that Chara would be too much of a threat with my soul under their control. So he gave them his instead," I went on to finish. Frisk frowned.

"But Chara should have noticed that. Monster souls are white, human souls have colors and are flipped vertically."

"TRUE! HOW DID YOU KNOW, HUMAN?" Papyrus asked curiously.

The kid winced. "I, uhm…"

Whoops.

"Sans used one of his skills on his soul," I saved them from having to answer. "That dyed it blue for some reason."

"AH, YES! I CAN DO THAT AS WELL! IT'S MY FABLED BLUE ATTACK!" Papyrus seemed content.

"And he used his room-manipulation skill to turn it upside down," I continued, ignoring the interruption. "He hoped he would be able to put his soul back into his body quickly enough so his mind could fight off Chara's influence." I hardened my jaw, reminding myself of the time-limit. "If I understood the little bugger correctly, then the second Sans gives up, Chara can take control. That's why we need you, Papyrus."

"YES, OF COURSE!" He shouted, eager to be of help. "I! … I DON'T FOLLOW."

I exhaled slowly. "Sans cares about you, more than about anyone else." That was one of the things that had been obvious after having been involuntarily connected to the guy.

"YOU JEST!" Papyrus _blushed_. What the hell, he didn't even…

… whatever.

"I know it for a fact," I said. "That's why having you there might help him put up more of a fight against Chara. And also…" I started kneading my nose bridge, trying to massage away my obstinate headache. "I'm still not sure in which category of creatures to put Chara in, but the option most likely to work would be exorcising them. However, for that to work, we need to get Sans's soul out of his body first. And we need a monster for that, because I can't do that."

"PARDON, TALL HUMAN?" Papyrus raised his hand, as if he wanted me to call him up. "I AM UNAWARE OF ANY MONSTERS WHO CAN PULL OUT ANOTHER MONSTER'S SOUL. ASIDE FROM HUMAN ONES, WE CAN USUALLY ONLY TAKE OUR OWN, SEE?" With that, the skeleton pulled out his own soul as other people pull out handkerchiefs and held it up to me – right in front of my eyes.

"Y-yeah. Papyrus, please don't stick your soul in my face," I took a step back, frowning. "I didn't think you wouldn't be able to do it. That's… not good for my plan."

A minute passed, and other than Papyrus putting his soul back where it belonged – this skill all Monsters were supposed to have, it freaked me out a little, not going to lie – nobody said a word.

Until Frisk's face lit up. "I know someone!" the kid jubilated.

I turned around. "What?"

"Someone who can pull out monster souls. Hurry, Mr. Dresden, we have to go!" Frisk yelled, tugging at my duster.

"Go where?" I asked, confused. If Papyrus didn't know any Monster that could do it, how did Frisk?

"Further back into the mountain," Frisk explained hurriedly. "I hope he's still there."

"Who?"

"Flowey!"

* * *

Frisk

"Is there something I'm missing, or is this a terrible idea?", the wizard said, walking at a fast pace. Between him and Papyrus, Frisk was having a hard time keeping up with them. For every step the two adults took, the child needed three. And they still felt a little out of it because of their escapade in Snowdin.

"Didn't you tell Sans and me before? Wasn't Flowey the _other_ evil thing in the Underground that you had to deal with?", the man elaborated on his thoughts. "Do we really want _another_ antagonist in on this?"

"We're out of 'good' ideas," Frisk remarked in between short breaths. "Besides, he has changed."

Uncomfortably, the child tugged at the sleeves of Sans's shirt. They had found the skeleton's clothes in the bag of dog food – _why, Mettaton?_ – and put them back on again. They really didn't want to run to Snowdin and repeat the icy experience from before.

"COINCIDENTALLY, I ALSO KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO GOES BY THE NAME OF FLOWEY," Papyrus said. "HOWEVER, HE IS FAR FROM EVIL! IN FACT, HE HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL!" He scratched his chin. "ODDLY ENOUGH, I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN A FAIRLY LONG TIME."

The wizard shared a quick look with the child and nodded understandingly.

 _Yes, Mr. Dresden, it_ _ **is**_ _the same Flowey._

The two grown-ups picked up the pace yet again, and Frisk had to fall into a jog. Their chest hurt; apparently the cold had hurt them more than they had thought. Either that, or it was because of Sans's attacks against Chara while they had been controlling Frisk.

The three of them had almost arrived at Waterfall, when the wizard restarted the conversation.

"Frisk?"

The kid huffed. They were desperately in need of a break, but they knew there was no time for that.

"Hm?"

"When Sans had my soul for those two minutes, he 'checked' you."

Frisk frowned, trying to keep their breathing balanced. "Mhm?"

 _So what?_

"There was something about LV and HP? Not sure if I can take that seriously."

Frisk panted, forcing themselves not to roll their eyes at him. This _really_ wasn't important right now. And they _really_ didn't have the endurance to talk and run at the same time.

"It's probably just as you imagine, Mr. Dresden," they said anyways, wheezing. "AT is attack, DF is defense and HP stands for hit points."

The man grunted. Frisk restrained themselves from becoming passive aggressive. Unimpressed? Well, what did he think those acronyms would stand for otherwise?

A break. They needed a break. Huffing, they waved at Papyrus and Mr. Dresden to slow down for a moment. Immediately, their guilty conscience came back up. What if Sans died, just because they didn't have the stamina?

 _Would it really be that bad if he was gone, though?_

Frisk felt their throat tighten up just as the thought had passed their mind. Where the hell had _that_ come from?! Chara was gone, right? They shook their head, trying to distract themselves from it.

"LV and EXP aren't just level and experience points though," they said finally. Since they had stopped, they could just as well use that pause to finish their explanation. The child leant against a boulder and took deep breaths. "EXP are execution points, and LV stands for…"

"LOVE!" Papyrus exclaimed. "IN CAPITAL LETTERS."

There was a joke there somewhere about _him_ being the one saying that, but they couldn't quite grasp it.

"Right," Frisk confirmed, tensing up a bit. "L-O-V-E. Stands for Level of Violence. Refers to one's capability of hurting others. The higher your LV, the less you'll care, the more it will rise."

They shivered, when they noticed how much this sounded like a rehearsal. After hearing this from Sans over and over again, for a thousand times, they knew it by heart. And it had no impact on them anymore, even though they wished it did.

"Okay, Sans being so hostile at the beginning makes much more sense now," the wizard murmured to himself. Frisk's eyes narrowed, wondering what the skeleton might have seen in the man.

"Still," Mr. Dresden continued. "EXP? LV? _LOVE_? How contrived can you get?" He snorted "It really _does_ sound like a game after all."

Frisk winced at that. Chara had compared their situation in the Underground with a game many a times.

"Please don't say that," they said anxiously.

The wizard shrugged. "It does though."

"HUMAN! WHILE YOU ARE RESTING – I HAVE A QUESTION AS WELL!" Papyrus said, after having been deep in thought. "THIS… CHARA PERSON THAT YOU TWO WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE! WHO ARE THEY?"

Frisk stared at the ground, then up at the two adults.

"In short – they've been the first human to fall down to the Underground. Toriel's and Asgore's son Asriel found them, and took care of them. They became good friends, as close as siblings almost."

Gosh darn it.

This, as well. No impact anymore, whatsoever. No empathy. They had heard it just… too often. Frisk pressed their right arm against their stomach, calming themselves. This whole time was too much of an emotional rollercoaster. There had to be a point where they could be at ease again.

 _Right. Because there's_ _ **nobody**_ _that might deserve that time-out a little more than I do._

Ugh.

"WAIT! I KNOW THIS STORY!", Papyrus bellowed, tearing them out of their inner cynical debate. "IT IS… VERY SAD, ACTUALLY."

Frisk nodded and put on a somewhat empathetic expression.

Still feeling nothing.

"When Chara got sick, they convinced Asriel to take their soul to get through the Barrier to the human world. Humans noticed Asriel, who had transformed because of Chara's soul, saw Chara's lifeless body and attacked Asriel. He didn't retaliate, and managed to get back into the Underground, but died in his father's flower garden. Chara's soul vanished, together with Asriel's. But Chara is still there, in a soulless form. I don't know how or why."

"IT IS SO SAD," Papyrus sniffled. "ALSO, WEIRD."

The wizard raised an eyebrow. "What is weird?"

"WHY DID THEY WANT _SANS_ TO HELP THEM, OF ALL PEOPLE?"

Frisk bit their lower lip. "Because they're… sadistic. Sans hates m- _Chara_ and they get the ultimate kick out of tormenting him."

 _Because it_ _ **is**_ _kind of funny when the guy loses his cool._

Frisk shook their head again, full on desperate. What was going on?! They didn't think this way, did they? The child felt the hair at the back of their neck stand up. The wizard was observing them closely. Had he caught on to something?

"WELL, THAT'S NOT VERY NICE," Papyrus said, the only one still focused on his questions. He bent down to Frisk, looking at them in confusion. "SAY, HUMAN, WHY WOULD SANS HATE CHARA, IF HE'S NEVER MET THEM?"

Frisk paled. Oh no. They had messed up.

"He has his reasons," the wizard tried to intervene.

"BUT-"

 _He mustn't know_. _It's bad enough that Sans does_ , _but_ _ **this guy**_ _couldn't keep a secret if you taped his mouth shut._

… He was their friend.

 _For now_.

Frisk tasted iron and realized that they had bit their lip hard enough to make it bleed.

He was their friend.

 _How many people would keep up a friendship if I killed them? Provided people wouldn't die if they were killed._

No. No more thinking like that. They had finally gotten rid of Chara. This was their chance to turn over a new leaf. And for that, they had to be honest – not only with themselves, but also with their friends. Otherwise, they would end up shutting themselves off further and further into spineless cynicism, to avoid feeling shame and guilt every time they talked to a previous victim of theirs.

It was time to come clean.

"They killed you, Papyrus. When they were inside of _my_ soul."

Now there was no way back.

* * *

Harry

The kid stood there, defenseless, shoulders hunched forward, head down.

I had to commend them for being brave enough to start a confession. There was just one problem.

Why _now_?! This was _easily_ the worst possible time to do this.

"NOW THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE, LITTLE HUMAN!" Papyrus replied confidently. "FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ALIVE AND WELL!"

Frisk shook their head.

" _No_ , Papyrus. When Chara was part of me, they… we… _I_ killed you. I killed over a hundred Monsters." They clutched their shoulders and tried to hide their face. "I- I don't e-even remember all of them." Their breathing accelerated; their throat closed up. The kid held themselves up by clasping a part of the cavern walls, knees shaking.

Papyrus glanced at me in utter confusion, then knelt down next to the shivering child and patted them on the back calmingly. "LITTLE HUMAN, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" His expression lit up. "WAIT! I SEE WHAT'S GOING ON! YOU MUST HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO A TERRIBLE NIGHTMARE! DO NOT DESPAIR, HUMAN! NONE OF US ARE GONE!"

"Because I reset!" Frisk yelled hysterically. "When I was down here, I could turn back time whenever I wanted to! I… I… I killed Tori… Sans… Undyne… Mettaton… everyone I could find in the Underground, every Monster that was too slow, or too stubborn, or too… _naïve_ to run away! And… I killed _you_ , Papyrus, I…" They started sobbing, not able to say another word.

I gripped my staff, waiting for Papyrus's response.

God damn it, kid. Your timing couldn't be worse if you tried.

The lanky skeleton studied Frisk with a puzzled and concerned look. He still had his hand on their back.

Several moments of silent tension passed by; then Papyrus sat down, cross-legged.

"DID I SAY SOMETHING COOL?"

… say what now?

The kid shuddered. "Wh-what?"

"BEFORE I… DIED. WHAT DID I SAY?"

"Y-you-" Frisk sniffled. "You said… I… I think you said you were worried. About… me. That I… I needed someone to… teach me how to be good. That I had… p-potential." Their voice broke, turning into continued bawling again. "Y-you said that I – that you would be my tutor. And th-then…" Tears ran down their face. "Then y-you wanted to g-give me a hug. A-after that… y-you… you…" They went completely still. "You died," they whispered.

"WELL! A MOST UNSETTLING THOUGHT!" Papyrus said, scratching his chin. "BUT YOU SEE! HUMAN! I WAS RIGHT IN THE END, WASN'T I? YOU WERE ABLE TO BE GOOD, JUST LIKE I SAID!"

I put the staff down. There was no need to protect the kid. Not from this guy.

The child stared at the skeleton with wide eyes – and teared up once again, a sad smile spreading over their face.

"P-Papyrus, you…" Frisk stopped, pressing their lips together tightly. They fell to their knees and were overrun by another emotional breakdown.

Papyrus slipped his hands beneath their arms and picked them up, holding them like – well, like a little kid.

"FOLLOW ME, TALL HUMAN! WE CANNOT DAWDLE AROUND ANY LONGER!"

With long strides, he took the lead, gently carrying the bawling child along.

"I'm s-so s-sorry," Frisk sobbed. "So, so sorry. I-"

"IT'S OKAY, LITTLE HUMAN! I FORGIVE YOU FOR… CAUSING MY UNTIMELY DEPARTURE." Papyrus comforted them, stroking their back, causing the child to cry even harder. "YET! I CANNOT FORGIVE YOU FOR KILLING THE OTHERS. THAT IS NOT MY DECISION TO MAKE; THEY WILL HAVE TO DO SO ON THEIR OWN. I WILL, HOWEVER, HELP YOU CONFESS TO THE OTHER MONSTERS IN WHICHEVER WAY NECESSARY!"

The skeleton nodded, confirming his own words to himself. "IT WAS VERY BRAVE OF YOU TO TELL ME THIS, LITTLE HUMAN! I WILL NOT LET YOUR ATTEMPT AT ATONEMENT GO TO WASTE!"

That opened yet another gate of the waterworks, damning the kid to spout more incomprehensible apologies.

As cruel as it sounds, I was a little glad that they were still capable of showing emotions like that. During their explanations and narration of Chara's origin, I had gotten the growing suspicion that a part of them had been lost.

Their delivery had been very mechanical. Honestly, Frisk had looked _bored_ while summarizing the story, although they had desperately tried to hide it. Even though they couldn't reset anymore – in the short time they _had_ had the power to do so, it had managed to damage the kid; and I wasn't entirely sure whether that damage was repairable. While not exactly nice, it was relieving to see that they could show a guilty conscience.

On the other hand, they were still just a kid. It was a miracle that they hadn't turned out worse in their situation.

Provided with so much unregulated power, in a strange, less than friendly place, surrounded by weird, unknown creatures, most of which originally wanted you to die (or at least had no problems with you dying), all the while being under the influence of the other little bastard – Frisk must have had been an angel of a child when they had first fallen down to the Underground.

And then Chara had to drag them down.

* * *

It took about ten minutes for Frisk to cry themselves to sleep. During that time, neither of us had uttered a word.

Now, that we could see the first houses of Snowdin Town in the distance, I noticed how Papyrus tensed up.

"Everything alright?" I asked.

Just peachy, I bet. Your brother has been taken over by a sadistic little prick, you just found out that you almost helped in executing a (then) innocent kid, and you're currently carrying said murderous child around. Things must be looking so great.

I hate small-talk.

The skeleton laughed nervously. "I HAVE TO ADMIT, THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ARE MUCH TO TAKE IN."

"Big gesture to just forgive them like that," I said.

"THEY ARE MY FRIEND! I KNOW I WOULD WANT TO BE FORGIVEN BY A FRIEND IF I DID SOMETHING WRONG."

I snorted. Yeah, if you broke their car. Or if you lied to them, abused their trust. Actively trying to kill them is another ballpark entirely. If Murphy really tried to kill me out of boredom one day – let's just say she wouldn't get a present for Christmas that year. Provided I would survive her attempted homicide.

Aside from that, we don't even get each other Christmas presents anyway, so maybe that comparison was a little redundant.

We passed by the skeleton brothers' house. Papyrus eyed his old home, and went on faster than before.

"BESIDES! I THINK THAT THEY ARE PUNISHING THEMSELVES ENOUGH ALREADY. AND THEY ARE WORKING SO HARD TO HELP US ALL! SHUNNING THEM WOULD BE NEEDLESSLY CRUEL." He sniffed. "I AM JUST SAD THAT WE WEREN'T GOOD ENOUGH FRIENDS SO I COULD STOP THEM AND HELP THEM WITH THEIR PROBLEMS."

"If it helps – Chara said that it was actually _them_ who killed you. Frisk wouldn't do it," I said, just now remembering that. I almost ran into Papyrus, who had come to an abrupt halt.

"IS THAT SO."

"I don't see why Chara would lie about that."

Other than further aggravating Sans, but I decided to keep that thought to myself.

The lanky skeleton suddenly whirled around and grabbed me with his free hand, pulling me into a surprise hug, Frisk squished in at the side.

"I AM SO GLAD! THANK YOU, TALL HUMAN! IT MEANS A LOT!"

"Great," I murmured, embarrassed. "Please let go."

Frisk stirred up, blinking, disoriented.

"Hn? "

Then – they joined in on the hug.

You've got to be kidding me.

"HUMAN! YOU ARE AWAKE AGAIN! HAVE YOU RESTED WELL?", Papyrus said, (finally!) letting go of me and putting the kid down. Frisk avoided the skeleton's eye-sockets and nodded awkwardly.

"VERY WELL! WE ARE NOT FAR FROM THE RUINS – FROM THERE ON, YOU MUST TAKE THE LEAD, LITTLE HUMAN!"

We hurried on through the rest of Snowdin, followed a path through the woods behind it – not even questioning how trees could grow in this kind of environment – and passed through an open gate into a tunnel-like structure. That tunnel turned out to be part of the cellar of a built-in home. We left the former 'living room?', rushed along another way, leading through darker passages, with Frisk at the front, knowing exactly where to go.

Well duh, of course they knew the way. They had walked it often enough.

* * *

We finally arrived at the bottom of a shaft. Rays of sunlight fell through a hole at the ceiling of the cavern, several hundred feet above us, illuminating a patch of yellow flowers in the middle of the area.

One of those flowers moved upon our arrival. It turned around to face us – _genuinely_ face us. With an _actual_ face, consisting of two dotty eyes and a comic-like mouth.

So _this_ was Flowey. Looked less weird than I had imagined.

"Frisk? Don't you have anything better to do?", the flower greeted the kid. "Oh, and _great_ , you brought other _visitors_. _Welcome_ , human, I am Flowey. Flowey the Flower." It… _he_ stuck out his… yes, that was a tongue. I wasn't even surprised anymore.

His voice was on the higher side, childlike almost. He sounded… frustrated.

"What, is this going to be some kind of freak show? 'Look, we've even got a talking flower, _aren't we special_?'" His face changed instantly. His eyes grew bigger, like two gaping holes leading nowhere, the mouth stretched into a toothy grin. It took me a moment to realize that I could lock eyes with this guy without feeling the tug of a soulgaze.

Right. Frisk had said that he didn't have one.

"FLOWEY? HEY! IT _IS_ YOU! LONG TIME NO SEE, FLOWEY! THE HUMANS AND I ARE SEARCHING FOR AN EVIL FLOWEY! HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?" Papyrus bent down to the plant.

Flowey _tsk_ -ed at him.

"That would be _me_ , you _idiot_."

"WHAT? BUT YOU'RE-"

"Yes, I'm _eeeevil_. Great shocker, I know," he cut Papyrus off. The skeleton stared at him in shock. Poor guy. Today was just one revelation after another, and none of them were good ones.

Welcome to the 'Surface world', Papyrus.

"BUT-"

"So, you're looking for me?" Flowey eyed us, curious but suspicious. "What for? I didn't do anything Frisk, I swear. I haven't moved from this place since everyone else left." He looked away. "So if something bad happened, it's not my fault."

"That's not it, As- Flowey," Frisk stuttered. I took note of it.

Another secret, kid? _Really?_

Flowey sneered at the child. "What then? You've come to put me into a flower pot and carry me around like a little pocket-monster? No thanks. I'd rather stay here and keep my dignity."

Because everyone knows the dignity of a flower.

"No, Flowey," the child corrected them calmly. I had the feeling that they were _very_ used to this. "We need your help. That's why we're here."

Flowey laughed. It was a distorted, unpleasant sound, like various voices laughing at the same time.

" _My_ help? That's rich, coming from you." He leaned forward. "I'll let you in on something, _buddy_. The second all of you left the mountain? _I remembered_. Oh yes, I know what you did." His face switched back to the neutral one from before. "To be honest, I'm still confused on how you made me forget in the first place. I mean, I could always remember every reset, since I had the power myself for a pretty long time. But that doesn't matter now." He snickered. "In the end, I remembered. Oh, and let me tell you, it was… _enlightening_. You almost had me convinced with your pacifist act. Glad to know that I was right in the end." He leaned forward, changing his face once again into what I guess he thought was scary. "In this world – _It's kill or be killed._ "

He laughed his distorted laugh. "Now I'm curious. Did somebody die?" His stalk bent to the side so he could take a better look at me. "Who's this huge scary human behind you, by the way? Tell him I want him to stop glaring at me."

Frisk, who had been slumping more and more with every word Flowey had thrown at them, replied with a quiet voice. "That's Mr. Dresden. He's a wizard, and-"

"A _what?_ "

"A wizard," Frisk repeated. I grinned and waved friendly, already kind of guessing where this was headed.

Flowey shrank visibly, his petals hanging down, his eyes widening.

"H-howdy, Mr. W-wizard," he whimpered. "H-how do y-ya… _no_. Bye," he said, and instantly shot inside the floor, disappearing from our sight. I stared at the hole in the ground, hand still up for more waving.

"So. I freaked out the evil flower. Didn't know he could run away like that. What now?"

"THERE IS NO NEED TO BE AFRAID, MY FRIEND!" Papyrus shouted into the darkness of the cave.

"He ran away just now, I don't think he's going to stick around and reply." I said.

"I'm _not_ _your friend_ , you thick-skulled _moron_!" Flowey's voice echoed back from somewhere in the cavern's corner.

I stand corrected.

"Frisk, are you completely _nuts_?! Why'd you bring a wizard here?!" Flowey screeched from his hiding spot. The kid got up and shouted back, frustrated.

"Flowey, he's not going to hurt you! I told you, we need your help, so-"

" _My_ help? What in the world can _I_ do that this guy couldn't do by himself?! Frisk, remember, I've read _every_ _single_ book in the Underground! That includes Gerson's journals from the war against humanity. If you knew what those said about _his type_ , you wouldn't claim that so easily!"

"Says the psychopathic murderous weed," I muttered. "Toriel mentioned that the wizards back then took Monsters as fuel generators. You don't even classify as a Monster, right? So what's your deal?"

"Hah! Out of everything she could have told you, she takes the most harmless one." Flowey's voice grew louder, frantic even. "What about the time where your kind used mind-magic on the monster children – who couldn't defend themselves against it – steering them out of a hideout and gathering them up in a hole? Their parents came after them, begging the wizards to give them back to them, offering themselves up as 'fuel generators', as you said – only to have to watch the wizards burn their children alive."

I remembered Toriel's reaction to my fire magic, scorching the first Parasite to oblivion.

" _This… brought back quite the memories. Excuse me, Mr. Dresden."_

A sickening feeling of nausea built up inside my stomach and made its way through to my head. Hearing Flowey's description was like getting hit by a shockwave, leaving me unable to do anything but stare into the darkness, horrified.

"The Monster parents, witnessing their children's deaths, went completely insane – obviously, lots of very strong emotions got involved," Flowey continued, as if he was reading out of one of those history journals at this exact moment.

Strong emotions.

Oh no. I knew where this was going.

"The wizards had been waiting for that. They channeled the Monster's desperate fury and loss, and used it to hit their stronghold, wiping out seventy percent of their entire population in one strike."

Flowey's tone became more cautious.

"So… Frisk? Are you… sure that you can trust him?"

Frisk looked up at me – a hint of uncertainty in their eyes.

Oh _come on_!

"Kid, as horrible as this is, the war was over six thousand years ago!" I said, more strongly than I had intended to. "No wizard from those times is alive anymore, and these… these kinds of methods are… _listen_ ," I tried to talk more calmly. "You remember the Laws of Magic? One of which you broke? One of those is that you can't use magic to control another creature's mind. And we're really strict on that."

You can ask Molly.

"Really?" Flowey chimed in again. "Even if you're telling the truth, I'm sure your kind makes exemptions to this rule. There's bound to be someone around with some kind of a special permission."

Yikes.

"I'm right, aren't I? I can see that," Flowey commented. His voice was quieter now. He had moved further away from us – _me_. "M-maybe _you're_ that somebody and-"

"I am _not_. Now come back here, plant," I growled.

Flowey giggled nervously. "Ha! You think I'm stupid? No! No way!"

"FLOWER-FRIEND!" Papyrus shouted, drawing everyone's attention towards him. He had been unusually silent up until now.

The skeleton's expression was desperate. "I BESEECH YOU! WE NEED YOUR HELP TO RESCUE MY BROTHER!"

"… what?" Flowey was unconvinced. "The smiley trash-bag? Of all Monsters, how did _he_ …" the plant gasped. "It was a wizard that got him, right?!"

" _No_ , it _wasn't_ ," I emphasized, gritting my teeth.

"Flowey," Frisk whispered. "It's Chara. They've got his soul, and if we don't do something soon, then they will gain complete control over him." The kid's voice grew stern. "Now imagine, Flowey. Chara with Sans's abilities. And they know you're here."

The sound of rustling leaves echoed through the cavern chamber, until suddenly Flowey popped out of the ground in front of us again.

"I'm listening."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Flowey said. "We're going to capture the smiley trash-bag, I snatch his soul and the wizard exorcises Chara out of it?"

Frisk nodded. The flower cackled.

"You _idiots_. Aren't you forgetting something?"

I raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. "Like what?" I was standing a few steps further back – Flowey's condition on talking to us.

The plant winced, his cackle turning into nervous giggling.

"I mean – the guy can teleport. Catching him is sorta… pointless." He grinned at Frisk. "Why don't you just kill him? You've done it before, what's stopping you now?"

Papyrus flinched.

"Shut up," I muttered, watching Frisk shuddering at the memories coming back up once again. "No killing Sans. And if Chara told the truth earlier, then that wouldn't even accomplish anything, they would just switch into another body."

"A body that would be way easier to catch and hold in one place," Flowey pointed out, but he gave in as soon as I sent him a less than neutral glance. " _Fine_. No killing. You'll see where it gets ya." He raised one of his leaves questioningly. "Next point: How are you planning on finding him?"

"I'll use a tracking spell," I said.

Flowey shivered. "Right. Forgot we had a Monster hunter on the team."

"Stop calling me that."

The thing is – I wasn't entirely sure what to use the tracking spell _on_. Sans didn't have blood or hair or… basically anything I could connect with him. We had Papyrus, but… again, _blood_ -relations were a tricky subject here. If things got desperate, I could maybe ask Papyrus for a milk tooth or something similar.

I sure as hell wasn't going to admit that to the flower, at least not right now.

The plant groaned. "I really doubt it's going to work out that easily, but count me in, I suppose."

"You've changed your mind pretty quickly," I noted. "How come?"

"Wizard," Flowey said, and I could see little drops of flower… sweat? on his face, above his eyes. He had problems addressing me directly. Still, he raised his head and faced me. "I don't know you, and I have no idea what your motivations are. With Chara, I _know_ what we're dealing with. I know that they've been around Frisk for effectively three years of resets, and that, without them, the kid would've probably never killed any Monster down here." He looked aside. "I… Chara and I, we have history. They'll come around to meet me sooner or later. And I'd rather they didn't." His expression changed into his 'scary' one.

"Especially not with _that guy's_ body. Chara would have a field day tormenting me."

Fair enough. Although it was impressive that apparently Sans had somehow managed to make the only few serious threats to the Underground his personal enemies. That was something I could relate to.

Before we could get any further, an up-beat, happy jingle tuned in. It took me a while to recognize it for what it was – a ringtone. And it was coming out of Frisk's pocket.

"THAT IS _MY_ PHONE!" Papyrus said. "HUMAN! DID YOU TAKE CARE OF IT FOR ME? THANK YOU!"

Frisk handed him the phone without saying a word. They probably still felt awkward after confessing their murders to him.

"HELLO? OH, QUEEN TORIEL!" Papyrus blurted into the phone. He seemingly had the speaker turned on by default; when Toriel answered, we could hear her loud and clear.

"Papyrus, do you happen to know where Mr. Dresden might have gone? Mandy told me he went after your brother, but I can't reach Sans for some reason."

So the kids had already met Supreme Goat Mom. Great, she was the only one in the camp I could let take care of children with a clear conscience.

At the mention of Sans's name, Papyrus's shoulders sunk a little. His voice didn't lose any of the jovial tone though. "I DO KNOW, INDEED! HE IS WITH ME AT THE MOMENT!"

"Oh wonderful! There is somebody here who wants to talk to him."

Papyrus nodded and offered me his phone.

I declined. "Hold it. If you give it to me, I'll just fry it."

The skeleton's expression grew confused, but he did as I said.

I frowned. Who in the world was still at the camp that would want something from me?

The speaker transmitted the sounds of a phone changing holders, and a second later, I heard a very familiar, friendly, deep and rich voice coming from the other end of the line.

"Harry. What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

What the hell.

"Michael?! What are you doing here?!"

"My daughter was worried about you. She called your client; and when Mrs. Harris said she hadn't heard from you since yesterday either, well… you know Molly."

I groaned, starting to massage my forehead again. That blasted headache was a heavy load on my already strained nerves.

"I do, yes. She's with you, isn't she?"

Of course she was. My student never listens to what I tell her to do.

"I believe in my daughter's instincts," Michael said diplomatically. "I also know that she would've gone on her own if I said no. I thought it best to accompany her instead."

More rustling noises of the phone being handed around. So, back to Toriel?

"Dresden? You owe me gas money."

Definitely _not_ Toriel. I buried my face in my hands.

"Why is _Murphy_ with you?"

"She thought it would be easier to sort things out with the local police force if she came with us," Michael came to the rescue. "She wanted a general picture of the situation at hand. She also wanted to check if you had gotten yourself arrested again."

Frisk giggled. I sighed and let them have it. The kid deserved at least some positive energy right now.

"They sent me to this ranger guy," Murphy continued, "Clark… Kent?"

"Clark Davis," Michael corrected her. "Clark Kent is Superman, as my youngest tell me."

"Right. So he told me where he had last seen your rental car. We go there, Molly uses a tracking spell, next thing I see is a freakin' dog wearing medieval armor. What the hell, Dresden?"

"We also found one of the lost children," Michael chimed in.

"Good," I commented, quickly re-counting. "Then there's only three of them left."

"Harry," Michael said, in his no-nonsense, biblical duty voice. "What is going on here? Something unholy is corrupting this area. What do you know and how can I help?"

"We-" I started, planning on holding him off, but I was interrupted – by a gunshot, the sound coming through the phone speakers. Frisk and I recoiled.

"Michael?!" I called. "What happened?!"

No answer. The phone transmitted a bunch of static noise. Then it was dead. Papyrus blinked at the technical device in his hand, shrugged and put it inside his upper armor.

"We have to go back!" Frisk blurted out anxiously.

Flowey frowned. "Do we? Do we really?"

"Yes!" Frisk exclaimed. "Maybe somebody got shot!" They paled. "Oh my god, please no… we have to hurry!"

Papyrus patted them on the shoulder. "DO NOT WORRY! I KNOW A SHORTCUT!"

Flowey, Frisk and I stared at him. We all knew that line.

The skeleton slowly realized the connotation and laughed sadly. "A REAL ONE, I MEAN! FOLLOW ME!"


	16. Chapter 16 - Backtracking

**Notes:**

Merry Christmas, everyone! I thought the next few chapters were best read more or less closely after one another, so I decided to post this block today. So... 4 chapters incoming, starting off with a relatively short one. Remember all the lost kids' names so far? Me neither, which is why I've kept a list - which you can read or not, whichever you like.

\- Liam: First kid Dresden encountered on his first hiking attempt. Has been returned to his family without difficulties  
\- Amy: One of the children the Monsters had initially found on the mountainside. Has grown very fond of some of the Monsters - Papyrus in particular.  
\- Noah: First infected child Dresden had to deal with, together with Toriel.  
\- Sam, Corbyn and Mandy: found by Mouse (and later Harry) in a group of three; While Corbyn and Mandy had initially been Parasite-carriers, Harry successfully got rid of the Pests, together with Mouse and Sans. However, the Parasite (Caterpillar) that had been possessing Corbyn managed to infest Sam with Parasite eggs before it fled. While Corbyn and Mandy adjusted to the Monsters pretty quickly, Sam has yet show any reaction that is not filled with hostile fear. Plus, his state of infection worries Harry a lot, at least when he has the time to do so.  
\- The other four haven't appeared yet, luckily. They will, though. Yeyyy. _More_ characters.

With that out of the way, happy readings! I appreciate any kind of feedback!

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Backtracking**

Never again let Papyrus decide on the route, unless you want a real workout. After shouldering Frisk and Flowey, the skeleton turned to one of the shaft's approximately 70-80 feet high walls and started climbing like a madman. I watched him for a moment, lamenting over my head- and muscle-ache, thinking about how many of my bones would break if I took one wrong step and fell back into the hole.

I've never done wall-climbing before, not in these kinds of dimensions at least.

Oh well. There's a first time to everything.

… I missed Chicago.

Jamming my staff between my back and my belt, I stepped up to the walls and gripped the first few rocks that stuck out far enough. The part of my unburnt hand where the Parasite-leech had bitten me before started throbbing again; I chose to ignore it. On my way up, dust and loose pebbles kept crumbling out and I heard them hit the ground a few seconds later.

"TALL HUMAN? IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT DOWN THERE?" Papyrus shouted down at me. He and the other two had already reached the top and gotten out. "SHALL I CLIMB DOWN AND ASSIST YOU?"

"I'm good, thanks," I replied in a strained voice, reaching for the next foothold. About two thirds left. I could do this.

Flowey's smug face appeared at the rim. "Doesn't look that way, Wizard. Climbing harder than killing?"

I gave him a patient grin. "I don't know, been a while. I'll tell you when I've come up. Then I can compare directly."

The plant's face fell. "H-hey, we're allies now! You wouldn't dare!"

"Want to test it out?" I said. The flower grunted and decided not to answer.

I had passed about two thirds when one of my worn-out legs started to cramp up. I cursed silently and tried to go faster.

That's when one of the holds I tried to grab on loosened and broke off. I lost my balance, tilted backwards and felt my heart slump down to my stomach.

I heard Papyrus yell.

"HUMAN!"

Not good.

But instead of falling and receiving crippling injuries – or worse – a green vine shot out of the wall next to me and wrapped itself around my arm, then my upper body and pulled me back, holding me against the wall. I gasped from the sudden pressure.

Flowey bent over the rim again, eyes narrowed, groaning.

"Golly – you're – _heavy_! Grab on, I'll – pull you – up!"

I clasped the vines, which slowly, but steadily, broke a path through the wall while moving upwards. The flower shouted various wordless complaints, but kept his grip tight until he had pulled me all the way to the rim, where Papyrus grabbed my shoulder and yanked me away from the hole.

Instantly, the plant let go off me, vanished into the ground and popped up about ten feet farther away.

"You're stronger than you look," I admitted to Flowey, rubbing my cramped up leg. I wasn't comfortable enough with him to thank him yet.

"Only because I took Frisk's soul," the plant replied, panting. "Wouldn't be able to haul you heavy bastard up here without it."

My eyes narrowed. "Give it back to the kid. _Now_."

"Gee, relax!" the flower told me off, extending one of his vines to his right. I eyed his movements and only now discovered the child sitting on the ground. The plant poked Frisk's chest and visibly shrank down. The vine retracted itself into the flower's body.

A moment later, the kid opened their eyes and got up.

"Thank you, Flowey," they said, stretching like nothing had happened.

"There you go, wizard," the Flower grunted. "Wasn't my stupid idea to begin with, but Frisk convinced me that we absolutely needed you against Chara."

"I CAN CONFIRM THIS!" Papyrus added, eyeing me with major concern. "TALL HUMAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"Nothing that can't be walked off," I said, untangling my staff from my belt.

"ARE YOU CERTAIN? I COULD CARRY YOU ON MY BACK!" Papyrus offered, already turning his back to me and pointing at it.

Flowey snorted.

Humiliation.

"I'm good, thanks," I repeated. "So, you know your way around?"

"YES!", Papyrus confirmed. "COME TO THINK OF IT! HAD I KNOWN THAT THIS WAS THE PLACE WHERE THE LITTLE HUMAN FIRST FELL TO THE UNDERGROUND, IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN NECESSARY FOR THEM TO LEAD US THERE."

I nodded. "How far is it from here to the camp?"

"I'M NOT SURE…" Papyrus said, pensively looking off into the distance. "BUT IT TAKES ABOUT A FIFTEEN MINUTE JOG IF YOU TRANSPORT AN OVEN."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Flowey remarked.

It was Papyrus. Of course he had run around with an oven in the middle of the mountains.

"Take Frisk," I told the skeleton. "The sooner we get to the camp to see what happened, the sooner we can focus on Sans again." His grin vanished at the mention of his brother's name, but he nudged it back up with a self-motivating 'NYEH!', and picked up the child.

"Flowey, you're with me," I said. "I want you somewhere where I can see you."

The plant winced and glared at me, full of suspicion.

"No way. Nu-uh." He agitatedly turned around, looking up at the child who had already made themselves comfortable on the skeleton's shoulders. "Frisk! Help me out here!"

"Just do it, Flowey," Frisk sighed, "He won't do anything bad to you, I promise."

"You _killed_ me, you idiot!" Flowey screeched at the child. "Your promise doesn't mean anything!"

The kid stuck out their lower lip. "You killed me first. And way more often."

"That doesn't change anything!" The plant hissed.

"WHAT ABOUT _MY_ PROMISE?" Papyrus chimed in. "I AM CERTAIN THAT NO HARM WILL COME TO YOU, FLOWER FRIEND!"

Flowey sniffed at him. " _Yours_ doesn't count because you're too _stupid_ to know bad people from good ones."

"Hey!" Frisk and I objected.

He had a point though. I groaned and stretched out my hand.

"Anything about magical oaths in those old journals you've read?"

The plant leant away from me, tense. "Yes?"

"I swear that as long as you're with me I won't harm you if you behave and do as I say. Good enough for you?"

Flowey's eyes narrowed even more. "Swear on what?"

God damn it, the flower actually knew the Old World Code of Conduct. I gritted my teeth.

"On my power. Now come on, do your part of the oath, we've got to go."

Flowey slipped into the ground and – very hesitantly – dug himself out in front of me. " _Fine_. I'll ' _behave_ and do as you say'." The plant blinked. "Did… did I do it right? I don't feel any different." He extended one of his leaves, shaking – even though he obviously tried to hide it.

For a second there, he resembled a kid, lost and confused.

Well, that pretty much sealed the suspicions I had about his identity.

"Yes you did," I said, trying to sound a little friendlier. I even added a smile.

It backfired horrendously. Flowey shrieked, pulled his leaf back and was about to increase his distance to me again. I didn't let him. Before he could do his usual fleeing maneuver, I bent down and grabbed him by his stem, not letting go.

"We made a promise," I said calmly. "Now get on with it."

Flowey stared at me in terror. I rolled my eyes.

"You know, if we take my part of the oath word by word, you're actually the safest from me if you're _with_ me."

I heard Frisk gasp behind me. "Oooh. True."

"HUMAN! HE MIGHT PROVE MORE COOPERATIVE IF YOU DIDN'T SCARE HIM SO MUCH!", Papyrus commented.

If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought he was trying to be a smartass.

Flowey flinched. "N-No, wait, I'm doing as you say!" He pulled out his roots from the ground. "Th-there, you see? I-I'm keeping my part of the promise, right?"

I was getting so tired of this. Could _I_ be the one who had to fight for his life again, please? I didn't like this role. Not at all.

"Relax and grab on my shoulder," I said simply and lifted my hand to make it easier for him to wrap himself around my upper arm.

Papyrus gave us a thumbs-up and turned around, jogging into a certain direction.

Flowey cleared his non-existent throat. "U-uhm… aren't we… going to follow them?"

"Before I do, I've got something left to do," I said.

"A-and that is?"

I glanced at the flower's head sprouting out right above my left shoulder.

"You're actually that guy… what's-his-name… _Asriel_. Toriel's and Asgore's son. Or, what's left of him."

Flowey frowned, changing back into his 'scary' face.

"Frisk promised to keep it to themselves. But they still told you."

"Nope. _You_ just did," I objected. "Had my suspicions already, though. A history with Chara, the fact that you're the only other soulless th- _person_ connected to this mess… and, admittedly, Frisk almost called you Asriel back in the cave."

"And why is it important?" Flowey/Asriel asked, half-meekly, half-angered.

"I just like to know what and who I'm dealing with," I said, starting after Papyrus, who had already halted and was waving at me to follow him. "And I'm glad I know for sure now," I added with a grin. "Wouldn't want to get on your _bud_ side, your Majesty."

Flowey stared at me, flabbergasted. "Did you just… you _did_." He shook his head with disgust. "Bah. And you're somehow _worse_ at it than the smiley trash-bag. Now I _really_ want him back."

* * *

About ten minutes later, we were back at the camp. The second we reached the first couple tents, the Raptor-Kid – what was his name again? – that had led me to the camp yesterday stumbled at us, wide-eyed.

"Papyrus! Papyrus, quickly! The humans hurt Undyne! At the Southern entrance! You gotta help!"

"NYEH!" Papyrus let out in shock. "UNDYNE?! BUT HOW?"

"I dunno!" RK sounded desperate. "They just came out of nowhere, one of them had some kind of plastic black bent stick. The stick went 'boom', and suddenly Undyne was bleeding! She, she told everyone to run to the other end of the camp and hide." RK shook his head. "But I thought – hey, Papyrus might be able to help! So I snuck out on my parents and searched for you." He seemed very proud of himself.

Papyrus pat his head.

"WELL DONE, LITTLE ONE! NOW, BACK TO YOUR PARENTS YOU GO!"

Raptor-Kid grimaced. "But I thought, maybe I could-"

None of us waited for him to finish his sentence, instead Papyrus and I hurried into the the direction of the Southern Entrance, leaving the Monster child to his own devices.

"I'll go hide in your jacket, Wizard," Asriel/Flowey murmured. "I don't want to be seen by most of the people here."

I just nodded, frantically thinking about what the hell had happened while Michael and I had been talking over the phone. Murphy certainly had her gun with her, but what reason would she have to attack Undyne? I would understand that reaction if she was more of a jumpy woman and hadn't obviously already met a handful of Monsters up to the time of the phone call.

Which probably meant that there were _other_ humans that had found their way to the camp.

* * *

In the end, it turned out that I was right. However, I hadn't expected the humans who shot at Undyne to look quite so familiar.

Undyne was sitting on the ground with a bullet wound in her upper arm. The projectile had to have gone right through. Toriel knelt beside her, concentrating on healing the captain of the Royal Guard. The Queen-goat's ex-husband, Asgore, stood a few steps further away, frowning, deep in thoughts. I immediately felt some of my left-over anger at him swell up, but left it where it was.

Now was not the time.

A child – Amy – was crouched down right in front of Undyne and looked up at the fish woman with tears in her eyes. Michael, Molly and Murphy stood a few feet aside; each of them had an upset child of their own to calm down. Murphy was talking to the boy I identified as Noah, the one Toriel and I freed from the Parasite in the spider caves. Molly was patting Mandy – the girl I had brought to the camp together with Papyrus – on the back; and Michael, who had his sword _Amoracchius_ with him, was holding a little black girl I didn't know, while discussing something with Corbyn, the part-Asian kid from Mandy's group. I couldn't see Sam anywhere. The redheaded, _infected_ boy who had been so scared of being here, insulting every Monster in his closer vicinity, was _not_ here. I had a bad feeling about this.

And, right in-between _my_ group of humans and Undyne and Toriel, there were the two people I guessed were the attackers; Being none other than my client, Mrs. Harris, and the park ranger, Clark Davis.

While Mrs. Harris appeared to be in a state between horror and fainting, Davis seemed to already have come to terms with the unusual situation and repeatedly glanced over at Undyne. Going by the guilty look on his face, _he_ had been the one to shoot at her.

The fish-woman was the first one to see us coming and raised her unharmed arm, waving at us with a big, toothy grin.

"Took ya long enough, punks! Papyrus, LOOK! I got my first real battle scar!"

"That's _not_ a good thing, Undyne," Toriel reprimanded her, and gave us a short, polite nod.

Amy turned to us, showing us her teary, swollen from crying face in all of its glory. She jumped up and staggered towards Papyrus.

"Papyyy! Undyne got hurt because of meeee!" She sniffled, running right into him. She wrapped her short arms around the skeleton and continued to sob. Papyrus placed his gloved hand on her head and patted her.

"DO NOT FRET, LITTLE HUMAN! LOOK AT UNDYNE! 'TIS BUT A FLESH WOUND!"

"He's right! It's not like my arm is _gone_ , stop crying already, wimpy kid," Undyne said.

Mrs. Harris stared at Papyrus with a terrified expression. She grabbed Davis by the arm and shook him, pointing at the skeleton with a trembling hand.

"A-another one!" she whimpered. "Amy! Get away from there!"

 _Another_ one?

Amy turned her face towards her teacher and stuck her tongue out, snuffling.

"No! Papy is my friend! Just like Undyne! Stop shooting my friends!"

"Dresden!" Murphy put her hand on Noah's shoulder as she addressed me. "This has to be the weirdest mess you've stumbled into yet. Care to give us a short explanation?"

Weirdest mess? I don't think I would've gone that far yet, actually.

"Later, Murph, sorry," I replied, meeting Michael's raised brows with an apologetic shrug. Molly just shook her head. "We're sort of on a tight schedule here."

Murphy shook her head and sighed. "When is that _not_ the case with you. You better put me in the picture later, or you're gonna regret it."

I saluted to her. "Yes, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes at me.

"Mr. Dresden!" Mrs. Harris blurted out. "Please! Get my student away from this... this…"

"GREETINGS, HUMAN! MY NAME IS PAPYRUS!" Papyrus bellowed, waving at the teacher.

She shuddered. Davis gripped her shoulder. "Try to calm down, Emma. Look, he's different from the other one."

"How can you stay so composed with all of this, Clark?!" she shouted, shivering. She shot a hostile glare at Murphy, who reacted with a cool, collected gaze. "We see a monster letting Amy dangle upside down in front of her face, God knows what she was planning to do to her; of course you'd shoot at her!" "

I frowned. Shooting at Undyne _while_ she was holding Amy? 'Of course' weren't the words I'd use to describe that reaction.

Mrs. Harris pointed at Murphy. "And then _this_ mad-woman kicks your gun out of your hand."

"I think it's a good thing she did that, actually," Davis replied, placating. "She de-escalated the situation."

"De-escalated?!" Mrs. Harris repeated hysterically. "She took our only means of defense! Ten of my students get lost on this mountain, only one returns, and we find five of them with these monsters here! Coincidence? I think not!" She turned to Toriel, eyes filled with tears of helpless fury. "What did you do to the other four? Did you kill them? Did you- did you…"

"Mrs. Harris, please, stop it," Mandy interrupted her, facing away from Molly. "These people found us and saved us. Sam is here, too, he's just… sick." She glanced at me shyly. "He's gone to sleep maybe ten minutes ago, Har- Mr. Dresden's dog and him are still in Mr. Grillby's tent."

"Unfortunately, we haven't found the rest of the children," Toriel spoke with a soothing voice. "I do hope that they are safe and sound."

"Mrs. Harris, aren't you always saying that we shouldn't be rash with our judgement?" Corbyn added, leaning on Michael, who eyed the kid with great bewilderment. The boy yawned, uninterested. "You're not really a good role-model right now, teach."

"Nevermind all that," I finally said. "Mrs. Harris, Mr. Davis – you mentioned another skeleton."

Papyrus gasped. "RIGHT! THEY DID! IT MUST HAVE BEEN SANS!"

"I… doubt that, Papyrus," Toriel muttered, not turning away from Undyne's wound, which gradually started to close up. "Mr. Davis told us that the other skeleton _attacked_ the two of them. That doesn't sound like Sans at all."

I froze. Was it already too late?

Undyne cackled. "Yeah! That guy couldn't hurt a fly! Would be too lazy to get a swatter!"

Toriel giggled. "That's… not exactly what I meant, but…"

"That skeleton," I interrupted the Queen of Monsters. She didn't seem to mind it much. "What did he look like?"

"Strange, to be honest," Davis said. "Not as strange as this one – no offense – but still. Was wearing a blue hoodie-jacket and black shorts with white stripes. Oh yeah, and pink slippers. Was pretty small and stout, too. How do you get a chubby skeleton?"

Toriel, Undyne and Asgore all stared at the ranger in complete disbelief.

"A SANS DOPPELGANGER?" Papyrus asked, confused.

"It _is_ him," Frisk said, still enthroned on Papyrus's shoulders. "But he didn't attack them."

"Oh, he did!" Mrs. Harris shouted. "But you, who… who are you? You're not from our school."

"It doesn't matter," Frisk said sternly. "And he didn't attack you, really."

"How would you know, kid?" The ranger asked. "You weren't there."

"Had he actually tried, you would be dead," the child said coldly.

Toriel gasped. "My child! How could you say something like this?"

" _Your_ child?" Mrs. Harris repeated.

Undyne snorted. "Oh come on, Frisk. That's not funny. Well… maybe a little."

Frisk ignored all three of them and glanced down at me.

"He's still fighting Ch- _them_. I think they want to increase his LV. That makes it easier for them to take control," they stated coolly.

Kid, you're making me suspicious of you again. Stop doing that, we have enough problems as is.

"You completely lost me," Murphy said. "Dresden? Do _you_ know what he… uh… she… what the kid is talking about?" She studied my face and exhaled, frustrated. "Of course you do."

"Someone has been possessed by… something," I gave the vaguest explanation I could think of.

"Oh, haha, Dresden," Murphy countered. "You're lucky I know enough about you that this actually makes sense to me."

Michael gripped the hilt of his sword. "I knew there was something unholy lurking on this mountain."

"Dude! _Again_ ," Undyne moaned. "That sword is so _awesome_."

The Knight of the Cross closed his eyes and obviously counted to ten mentally.

"No, Undyne, _again_. You can't have it."

Apparently, Michael, Murphy and Molly had arrived quite a while ago. They seemed to be really used to the unusual surroundings already.

Before I could ask Mrs. Harris or Davis where they had encountered Sans, the familiar whimper of Mouse made its way to my ear canals. The sound dug deep under my skin.

"Mouse!"

My dog was trotting towards our group, dragging the unmoving body of a redhead child with him, his teeth carefully locked around the child's collar.

 _Sam_.

And he looked awful.


	17. Chapter 17 - 99 Problems, Few Soulutions

**Note:** Not sure if it's necessary, but for what it's worth: Warning for graphic depiction of corpses.

Edit: Thank you for the corrections, Zennistrad - I hope I put it right now.

* * *

 **Chapter 17: 99 Problems, Few Soulutions**

The hot-headed boy from before was almost unrecognizable. His skin had lost its color, slowly turning grey now, with little blue spots spread all over him. His breathing had grown weak, his eyes were halfway open and clouded. Even though Mouse dragged Sam to us with utmost care, the boy resembled a lifeless dummy. He… basically looked like a worm-eaten corpse.

Mrs. Harris paled at the sight of her student, got up and stumbled towards him, not saying a word.

"Good Lord," Michael uttered, shocked.

"Is he… even still alive?!" Davis stammered.

Undyne's grin had vanished, as had Papyrus's.

A high-pitched yell pierced my ears. Amy.

"Shield the kids!" I said, and ran up to the spot where Mouse had let go of the child. "Davis, take care of Mrs. Harris, I need a little space here, immediately!"

The ranger took the teacher by her shoulders and gently pulled her away.

My dog whimpered sadly. I ruffled up his fur. "Good boy."

Michael gently put the sleeping black girl on the ground next to Toriel and Undyne, came over and knelt down opposite to me.

"Can you help him, Harry?"

"I don't know," I replied honestly. "He's infected with some supernatural kind of Parasite, only visible to the Sight. I've fought plenty of them today, but his case is a little different."

"Different how?" Molly's voice came from behind us.

"Another Parasite laid its eggs inside of him," I said.

My student made a barfing noise. "Yuck!"

Her father, as usual, was an unmovable pillar of strength. "Try to help, Harry. There is much strength in the will to do good." He placed one hand on the child's forehead and started praying silently.

Michael is a really good friend, but "try to help" is easy to say if praying is your go-to answer when you can't do anything else.

Cursing at my perpetual headache, I readied my Sight, semi-prepared for the disgusting image that was sure to come.

It didn't even get that far.

Instead of my Sight opening, an explosion of white pain flooded my head. My vision completely blacked out for a second, only to come back blurry and distorted.

I felt myself tilting backwards, losing my balance.

"Harry!" Michael's voice broke through the splitting headache. Someone – I assumed it was him – grabbed my shoulder, holding me up, and placed a hand on my forehead.

"Harry, you've got a high fever!"

I gnashed my teeth and fought through the feeling of nausea. "Yes, I know."

Murphy groaned. "You can be such a moron sometimes, Dresden."

My eyesight cleared up slowly. From the spot where she had been healing Undyne, Toriel got up and approached us hurriedly. She knelt down on my right side and clasped my gloved hand.

"Mr. Dresden, I'll offer it once again. Take my energy, save this child. Please."

For the first time since we had come here, Asgore decided to do something. The ibex-king went up to us, looking down at the situation with a pained expression.

"Tori, no."

For what's it worth, a part of me understood that he wouldn't want a wizard to use his wife's soul as a… fuel generator. God damn it, I should have come up with a less pragmatic name.

"Stay out of this, Dreemurr!", Toriel hissed. "I will not stand aside and watch another child die!"

"That's not what I meant," the king replied calmly, knelt down on my other side and put his paw on my shoulder. I was seriously starting to feel caged in now. I'm not the guy for group hugs.

At least Michael had let go of me again.

"Mr. Dresden, take my energy instead of hers. And Tori-" Asgore took a sad glimpse of his ex-wife. "I think it would be better if you tried to soothe his and the boy's pain somehow. There is nobody else who would be better suited for this than a caring soul like yours."

Toriel didn't answer, but she released my hand. A moment later, I felt her healing spells wash over me and numb the headache considerably.

I glanced at the Monster King, not without some begrudgingly positive surprise. He was the last one I had expected any real help from, after all I had learned about him since yesterday. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, set aside any disrupting thoughts and readied my will for Round Two of Dresden Diagnostics.

I wasn't quite on my last legs yet energy-wise, but there was still Chara to deal with after this – so I didn't have that big of an issue actually tapping into Asgore's… it was basically his vitality, if I was going to be honest here.

It was frighteningly easy to pull out the energy, almost intuitive – as if this was the way it was _supposed_ to be used. It raised up my will and swept away the rest of the headache. I opened my eyes, along with my Sight.

The eggs the Caterpillar had laid into Sam were gone. Instead, countless maggots, sizes ranging from 0.2 to 2 inches in length, were crawling around beneath his skin, digging holes into the boy's soul.

And there was literally nothing I could do for him. The maggots were still inside of him, I couldn't reach in and just flat on remove them surgically.

That was when Michael started praying again, his palm resting on Sam's head.

The effect was incredible. I could See how the boy's skin directly underneath Michael's hand started glowing in a faint golden light – and Watched in disbelief as the maggots disintegrated within it.

"That's it, Michael! Keep that up!" I shouted, relieved. The big guy picked up on my words and continued his prayer. The glowing light started spreading through Sam, eradicating all maggots that were too slow to crawl away.

I should have known. What magic was to me, Michael's faith was to him. I wasn't really up-to-date with the latest church-trends, but as far as I was aware, praying was supposed to purify your soul somehow. Moreover, with the opponents being semi-incorporeal creatures, under the command of someone who literally thought of themselves as some kind of biblical monstrosity – it did make sense that it would work. I guess, in this specific situation, praying could do the trick.

Then again, it probably _had_ to be Michael, or someone else with his kind of conviction and personality. I remembered the first Parasite I killed, and how it had had its difficulties dealing with Toriel's aura, which had resembled Michael's so much back then.

 _Back then_. It had only been around six hours ago. It felt so much longer.

Somewhere, at the back of my head, an idea sprang to life.

"Harry?"

I stopped tapping into Asgore's magical energy, closed my Sight and looked behind me. Molly had joined in, staring down at me, the royal goats, her father and the unconscious child.

"If you're just going to sit here and keep Watch, then I can fill the part," she said earnestly. "You said you were on a tight schedule, after all."

Michael's continued praying faltered for a second. Apparently he wasn't a fan of the idea that his daughter would be forever stuck with the image of what he was praying away right now.

I eyed her critically.

"You're not even supposed to be here, as far as I recall."

Molly closed her eyes and sighed. "Well _excuse me_ for being worried. _Excuse me_ for convincing my Dad to come here with me, where it turns out that he can save a kid's life. _Excuse me_ for bringing Murphy along, who basically rescued Undyne. And _excuse me_ for wanting to help and taking some of the load off of your shoulders. Oh right, I forgot, the _great_ Harry Dresden can do anything and everything on his own."

I blinked at her. "Care to repeat that last part?"

She winced a little. "Might have crossed a line there."

How curious. I thought so, too.

"YOU ARE MOST EXCUSED, HUMAN!" Papyrus commented from the sidelines. "YOUR HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!"

A smug grin entered the teenage girl's face. "But there, see? _He_ gets it."

"Don't overdo it, Molly," I said, but with a reconciliatory tone. "Anyway, I think Michael doesn't want you to See it. Neither do I, really."

"Oh, you mean, using the Third Eye on the kid?" My student asked innocently. She blinked and looked at the child. "Whoops, too la – oh my god, this is disgusting." She turned greenish and put her hand over her mouth.

I shook my head. She had brought this upon herself.

Murphy sighed. "She's a moron as well. Like teacher, like student."

"Maybe you listen to your father and me next time, Grasshopper," I said, pulling away from the goat ex-couple and letting Molly swap places with me. Without the healing magic of Toriel and Asgore's energy supply, the feeling of exhaustion slapped right back in my face; but it wasn't as bad as before.

Had to do for now.

* * *

Frisk

It looked like Mr. Dresden had finished. Good.

Leaving Toriel a little space, along with Asgore, the big, burly praying man and the teenage girl (who apparently was a sorceress as well), the others gathered a few steps further right. Mr. Dresden's dog had lain down next to his redheaded protégé, glancing at the child from time to time.

Frisk signified Papyrus to put them down; then the child started walking over to the wizard. They caught a short glimpse of the infected boy lying in the grass, and grimaced out of sheer sympathy.

The poor kid looked horrible.

"Undyne, how is your wound?" Asgore asked. Frisk stopped and watched the king leave Toriel's side. His captain jumped up and rotated her arm as if it was a windmill, grinning.

"Everything working! No worries!"

"Great," Asgore hummed. "Then go and notify the others that they can come out of hiding again. I do not want my subjects to be unnecessarily scared. Oh, right," he added, "take the human children with you. They really shouldn't see their friend in such a state."

The annoying teacher jolted away from the man who had injured Undyne, and who had been trying to calm the human woman down for the last few minutes. She whirled around, infuriated.

"Why the children?! They're staying right here!"

Frisk's eyes narrowed. They didn't like her.

Mr. Dresden's cool lady-friend Murphy – short, with an athletic built, blonde and awesome – rolled her eyes at the annoying teacher. "Come on, calm your tits, lady. He has a good point, and they haven't eaten them yet; they're probably not going to do it now."

Frisk nodded in agreement.

"You could come with me, if you want to!" Undyne said, surprisingly welcoming. The fish-woman stepped up to the teacher, who refused to back down – although her face screamed for a flight or fight response. Undyne reached out and clasped the woman's shoulder tightly. "Come on, we're gonna get along _real_ good! I'll show ya around!"  
The teacher looked like she was about to faint.

The captain of the Royal Guard turned around and pointed at each of the four children who were awake.

"Kids! Follow us!"

Noah obediently did as he was told; Amy also pranced over to her.

The Asian boy however, whose name Frisk didn't know, yawned and shook his head.

"Eh, I'll stay. Sam doesn't bother me."

The annoying woman stared at him in shock. "But Corbyn!"

"What?" The boy shrugged. "He's being healed right now, right? In this case, logic of magic applies, and children don't die in these settings. He's going to be okay. And he's going to start yelling at the Monsters again, the second he wakes up. Kind of wanna see that."

Frisk frowned. This boy was weird.

The other new child next to him, a skinny, almost frail looking girl with olive skin, avoided her teacher's gaze altogether.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Harris, but… I'd like to stay, too. Sam – and Olivia as well, if you think about it," she inserted, pointing at the dark-skinned girl Mr. Dresden's friend had held before. "They will need a familiar face when they wake up, someone they can trust." She glanced at the Asian boy and sighed. "And it shouldn't be… only Corbyn. He'd just agitate Sam further."

Corbyn's expression was motionless. "True."

"But-" the teacher began, only to be interrupted by Undyne.

"If they say they're good, they're good," the fish-woman cackled.

The man who had shot at Undyne before gave the annoying teacher an encouraging wink. "I'll stay here and look after your students, Emma. Don't worry, and… try to calm down. I'm sure of it, these people aren't dangerous. Trust me, I'm a ranger." He grinned. "I know my dangerous beasts. Uh… no offense."

"There ya go!", Undyne laughed. "Let's go, _Emma_!" With that, she left, pulling the unwilling Mrs. Harris with her, followed by Amy and Noah.

"Frisk," Asgore said, his voice deep and tired.

They turned around, eyeing the king questioningly.

The fluffy Monster sighed sadly. "You… you shouldn't see this either."

Frisk shook their head. "I'm not going with them. Mr. Dresden, Papyrus and I have to go help Sans." They were getting restless, impatient. "We're wasting our time here!"

"And you're going to have to waste a few more minutes," Mr. Dresden's lady-friend interrupted. "Sorry kid, but I can't just let you run off. I know that face he's making right now – you don't even have a real plan, do you?"

Mr. Dresden avoided her inquiring eyes suspiciously quickly.

"WE DO, SHORT HUMAN!" Papyrus objected. "WE ARE GOING TO CATCH SANS, AND PULL THE EVIL ONE OUT OF HIS SOUL!"

"That's not a plan, that's a vague concept," Murphy said coolly. "Also, call me short again, _I_ _dare_ _you_."

"NYEH! YOU REMIND ME OF A SHORT HUMAN-VERSION OF UNDYNE!"

Murphy blinked. "You… know what, forget it."

"If I may," Asgore chimed in, "how are you planning on finding him?"

"Tracking spell," Frisk answered nonchalantly.

The king shuddered. "Oh. Yes, I can recall." He frowned, hesitantly glancing at the wizard.

Mr. Dresden's eyes had been icy whenever they had brushed over the Monster King, and Asgore had noticed. "But… don't you need… um… a part of him for that? Correct me if I'm wrong, my knowledge of human magic is limited – and a little outdated."

"No, they still need that," Murphy replied in the wizard's place, pointing at him over her shoulder with her thumb. "I've seen him use hair for that kind of stuff, mostly."

Frisk froze. "… oh. That's not going to work."

The woman's face grew a little softer, sympathetic. "You're searching for a skeleton, right? Then no, afraid not." She tsked at the tall man. "I _knew_ you didn't have a plan, Dresden."

"I _do_ have one, thanks, Murph," the wizard grumbled. "It just has a few… gaps that still need work."

"Then you have something to track this… Sans guy with?" Murphy questioned, hands on her hips.

"… That's one of the gaps," Mr. Dresden admitted. She snorted.

Frisk broke out in cold sweat, desperately trying to find a solution.

That was when they remembered what they were wearing.

"Hey! I've got his clothes, is that okay?" They threw in, waggling their arms up and down, showcasing Sans's jacket.

Mr. Dresden shook his head. "There has to be a strong bond, a connection to him. Casual clothes don't work."

Discouraged, Frisk stared at the ground.

"A BOND? WHAT ABOUT OUR BROTHERLY BOND!" Papyrus said.

"Not that kind of bond, not on its own at least." Mr. Dresden said apologetically. "You'd need to have been a part of him at some point. Since you… don't really share blood."

"NYEH. THIS WIZARD BUSINESS IS MOST COMPLICATED," the skeleton murmured, upset.

Frisk frowned. "A part of him…" Their face lit up and they raised their head. "Maybe this is stupid, but… what about your soul, Mr. Dresden?"

Murphy's eyebrows shot up. "Dresden's _soul_? Why on Earth would _that_ work? And… how?"

Frisk shrugged. "Sans took it and absorbed its skills for a while."

A few feet to their left, the prayers of Mr. Dresden's friend halted for a second.

"What?!", the short blonde woman exclaimed.

" _What?!_ ", Flowey's muffled voice echoed from the wizard's pocket.

"What?!", Asgore blurted out, staring at the wizard in shock.

Mr. Dresden regarded the Monster King with a cold look. "Yes, he did. Thanks for telling me in advance that your people could do that, by the way. Made it much easier to prepare."

Frisk swallowed heavily. The wizard didn't even _attempt_ to hide his hostility for the Monster King.

The tall man eyed Frisk thoughtfully. "But you know what? That might even work."

Murphy audibly cleared her throat. "You got your _soul_ taken? I'm not an expert on your supernatural stuff, but isn't that a pretty big deal? And you didn't think that was worth mentioning?!"

"He just borrowed it for a few minutes," the wizard said.

" _Borrowed_? Dresden, it's not a _book_!" the woman sighed and raised her hands, giving up. "Fine, do what you want. I'll be there to kick your ass when something goes wrong."

"Reassuring, Murph," the wizard smirked. "Then all that's left is waiting for Michael to finish things up."

"What? Why Michael?" Murphy was confused.

Mr. Dresden gave her a smug grin. "I told you, I have a plan." He leant backwards, looking at the teenage sorceress. "Molls, how far have you two gotten?"

"Dad's about halfway done praying," she replied, focusing on the infected boy's body. "Is it a red flag if I find it satisfying to watch all of those little bastards burn to death?"

"Normally I would say yes," Mr. Dresden said. "But in this case, your reaction is justified and encouraged, my young Padawan. Let the hate flow through you."

The girl groaned quietly.

* * *

Harry

Frisk had provided the idea, now everything that was left was a method to get it to work. I couldn't very well just use a tracking spell on myself, as the connection only applied to my soul. Which, in return, meant that…

Stars and stones, I _really_ didn't want to have to go through this again.

Fine. I needed two people.

"Papyrus?" I mumbled. The skeleton had been restlessly walking in circles ever since Frisk had left his shoulders. Poor guy.

The second I said his name, he jumped at me.

"YES! YES, TALL HUMAN, HOW CAN I BE OF HELP?"

I took a step back to regain my comfortable personal space.

"Follow me for a sec. And Molly, I don't think your father needs you Watching him anymore," I added, nodding at my student. She blinked, closing her Sight with physical help, and faced me curiously.

"Harry, what's with that expression?" she giggled. "You look like you swallowed spoiled milk."

"SPOILED MILK? HOW GHASTLY!" Papyrus exclaimed in disgust.

I shoved my hand into my pocket and took halt of Flowey's stem. The plant let out a quiet yelp and petrified.

Sure as hell wasn't going to take _him_ with me for this.

"Frisk, can you hold on to this for me?" I said casually, as to not draw anyone's attention to us. The kid came to me, their hands hidden in the pockets of their 'borrowed' jacket. I made sure that they and I were blocking off the view of everyone else, and then handed them the horrified flower.

Sure, neither the plant nor I were really bound to our promise anymore now. But leaving him with Frisk was less of a risk than taking him with me.

"What're you being so secretive about?" Murphy chimed in, trying to get a glimpse by looking over Frisk's head, but Flowey had already vanished in the kid's pocket. I glanced at the people around us and gave her a telling look.

 _I'll tell you later, Murph. Not now._

She raised an eyebrow, but thankfully, _thankfully_ backed down.

Together with Papyrus and Molly, I went off, entering the surrounding forest, until the others were out of sight and hearing range.

"Okay, let's do this," I muttered. "Molls, you remember how to do the tracking spell, right?"

"Of course. We found you here because of it," she said, irritated.

"Good," I said. "Because I doubt I'll be able to do it for the next few minutes."

Molly frowned. "Are you that out of energy?"

I shook my head. "I just have the feeling that I won't _want_ to help out anymore in a second." I turned to the skeleton. "Papyrus, take my soul and hold it up in front of her."

Papyrus stared at me, unmoving – and teared up.

"TALL HUMAN! YOU REALLY ARE GIVING IT YOUR ALL, ARENT' YOU?"

I breathed out. "Just get it over with."

The skeleton wiped his tears away and nodded enthusiastically. "WORRY NOT, HUMAN! I WILL DO AN IMPECCABLE JOB! EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NEVER TAKEN ANOTHER'S SOUL BEFORE!"

"Don't say things that make me regret my decision," I mumbled, as he stepped up to me and put his gloved hand on my chest. A moment later, I felt that awful pulling sensation yet again – like someone was gripping inside of my lungs and pressed it together. Papyrus was less surgical with his soul-removal than Sans, but at the same time it hurt considerably less.

Maybe that was because I went along semi-voluntarily this time.

The initial feeling after my soul had left my body was the same, though. I wanted nothing more than have it back; the only thing that kept me from getting angry at the skeleton was my mind – and my mind was getting really tired of my bullshit.

Molly stared at the glowing red light hovering above Papyrus's gloves.

"Wow." She reached forward, as if she was under some kind of trance.

"Don't. You. Touch it," I forced myself to say.

She jerked back and frowned. "How come I can see it without the Third Eye?"

"No idea and don't care right now," I growled. "Just do what I told you already."

"Wow. _Someone's_ really grumpy," she muttered, raising her hand again, readying herself.

* * *

Frisk

Shortly after the two wizards and Papyrus had left for the forest, Toriel stopped her healing magic and got up. Judging from her expression, there was nothing more she could do for the infected child.

The Monster Queen approached Frisk, bent down and pulled them into a tight hug.

"My poor child," she mumbled. "I'm sorry I didn't do this earlier. This must be all so upsetting to you." She glanced at the other two conscious children – Mandy and Corbyn – and gave them a compassionate smile. "It must be hard for all of you."

"I'm good," Corbyn said, shrugging. He sat down next to the sleeping black girl and patted her head. "I pretend this is all either a fever dream or a comic. Then this is far from the worst state we could be in."

The ranger laughed heartily. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, kid. Weird, but good."

"It isn't a dream or a comic, though. It's reality," Mandy muttered.

Corbyn chuckled nervously. "Leave me be. I'll go insane if I take it at face value."

Mandy fidgeted. "It _is_ reality," she repeated absent-mindedly and shook her head, as if she wanted to get rid of a thought.

"You'll get used to it, kids," Murphy said, leaning against a tree, arms crossed. "I did."

Frisk observed Mandy closely. This girl was somehow… different from the other children. It wasn't anything appearance-wise. They just had that gut-feeling.

And… it wasn't an especially good one.

Cautiously, Mandy walked up to Toriel, looking down at the ground.

"Um… Ms. Toriel, I- I was wondering, if…"

Toriel let go of Frisk and shifted towards the shy girl.

"Speak, my child," she said warmly.

Mandy glanced at the queen, her lower lip trembling anxiously.

"I was wondering if… when everything here is over, if… I could stay with your people."

Frisk noticed a startled reaction from Corbyn, but the Asian boy had himself under control immediately, attentively watching his classmate.

The girl's stance was unstable, as if she was ready to… dodge something.

"Oh, my goodness," Toriel said, surprised. "Do you not have anywhere else to go, my child?"

Mandy smiled embarrassedly. "Well, I…"

That was when the Ranger cut in.

"Wait." He leant forward from the tree stump he had been leaning against ever since the teacher had left. "I'm just seeing this now, but… aren't you Mandy? The Jones's girl?" He grinned. "Your parents went out and offered a huge sum of money for any hints as to where you might be."

Corbyn sighed, resigned. "Why did you have to say that?"

The man eyed him in confusion. "What? But… she is, right?"

The Asian boy closed his eyes and exhaled audibly. "… yes. Yes, she is." He faced the girl apologetically. "Sorry, Mandy."

The girl didn't respond.

Toriel smiled warmly at her. "I apologize, my child, but we can't just take you from your family. Surely, they would miss you very much. Why… why would you even ask?" She added, worried.

Murphy's eyes had become sharp. Frisk swallowed. If Mr. Dresden's friend was getting so vigilant, then maybe their intuition wasn't far off.

"It's alright, Ms. Toriel," the girl said quietly. "I… it was a stupid idea."

But Toriel wasn't having it. The goat queen frowned and knelt before the girl, trying to get her to look her in the eye. Mandy turned her face away.

"Mandy, that isn't something a child would ask out of nowhere," Toriel said sternly. "Why-"

"I said it's alright!" The girl shouted, her voice brimming with a power, which… Frisk had heard before. From Mr. Dresden.

A strong gust of wind came out of nowhere, carrying pieces of moss, branches and leaves with it, tearing through the tent closest to them and pulling on Toriel's fur and Frisk's hair.

It died down just as quickly.

From a few paces aside, Frisk heard Asgore breathe out wearily. " _Another_ wizard."

Mandy stumbled a step back, her eyes wide with fear. "Oh my god! I- I am so sorry, I…"

Toriel closed the distance between them and embraced the trembling girl – instantly followed by a scathing look for Asgore.

"Do not be afraid, my child," she said. "You do not have to tell me. But remember, I will always have an open ear for you, if you decide otherwise."

For a while, Mandy's body was just tense, unresponsive. Then, she visibly relaxed. A loud, unrestrained sob burst out of her as she returned Toriel's hug.

Frisk pushed their unpleasant gut-feeling aside and put a comforting hand on the girl's arm.

"I'll have to talk to Dresden about this," Murphy muttered. The woman's posture was calm again. "Don't want another case like Molly's."

* * *

Harry

My soul was tugging to the West with unrestrained certainty from inside of me. Safe to say, it felt… weird.

When we had come back – Molly had successfully enchanted my soul and Papyrus had handed it back to me – Undyne, the kids and Mrs. Harris had already returned. Along with a lot of Monsters that were staring at the new arrivals, some with curiosity, some… more on the hostile side. Especially Davis was regarded with cold glares.

Made sense. He had injured Undyne, whom I had come to understand as somewhat of a hero figure to many of the Monsters.

Raptor-Kid dared to come a little closer than the rest, but especially he didn't look all that happy to see the man – or me, for that matter. Couldn't blame him for holding a grudge after lying to him and… well, threatening Undyne at our first meeting.

Molly Checked Up on Sam while passing Mouse and Michael, and gave her father green light to stop praying for the boy. My dog loyally stayed beside the kid, focused on protecting him. Sam was still unconscious, but he _did_ look much better now, almost healthy again. A small relief, finally.

My eyes found Frisk sitting in front of Ranger Clark Davis, together with Mandy and Corbyn, listening to… a story about park ranging, I guess. Upon seeing me, the kid jumped to their feet and nodded, ready to leave on my sign.

The number of watching Monsters kept increasing, until it came to a point where I started to have a really bad feeling about it.

"Wow. You're… quite the colony, aren't you?" Davis asked Asgore, as Mrs. Harris came back to the group. The teacher's hair was disheveled and her face bewildered, but she didn't appear to be as scared anymore.

The Monster King gave him an uncertain smile. "We are, altogether, about five hundred people. It might seem like we are big group, but we are not that many when compared to humanity, surely."

"It's the year 2007." Murphy snorted. "I don't know where you've been until now, but try 6.6 billion. And rising."

Asgore looked as though he was about to faint. "6.6 b- that is a _lot_ of humans."

To be fair, some of those were just disguised Vampires. And creatures I didn't even want to know the real identities of.

Davis frowned – uncomfortably aware of the hostile attention of all the Monsters around us. "Well, this is going to be a problem."

I rolled my eyes up at the sky. There always has to be yet _another_ problem.

"A problem?" One of the monsters in the crowd repeated.

"Are you going to cause one?" Another one added.

The ranger raised his hands defensively. "No, I – look, I'm sorry, I've learned my lesson. But if you're this many all at once – there are bound to be some issues."

"Issues of the imminent sort, I assume," Toriel said.

"Y-yes," Mrs. Harris stammered, still a little out of it. "Imminent."

The ever-growing crowd of Monsters grew tense.

"The police forces are coming," Davis explained. "Along with the families and friends of the missing students; and other voluntary searchers. They… got pretty close to this place yesterday, so… they could show up at any moment now. If they just run into you and see the kids among you…"

"There's bound to be some panic," Undyne finished his sentence – apparently she was smarter than I would have given her credit for. Or maybe the new hole in her arm had caused her to think a little more.

Murphy's expression had turned grim. "And where there's panicking humans, there's trigger-happy fingers."

Welcome back, headache. I almost missed you.

"If we don't meet them all at once, then we will agitate them less," Toriel concluded. "I suggest small envoy groups, consisting of one or two humans and one Monster each. The rest of us should go into hiding until then."

Asgore stepped up, drawing the attention of all of the Monsters – by now probably all five hundred of them – towards him with little to no effort. I suppose he was their king for a reason, after all.

"My people, do not be afraid," he addressed the nervous crowd. "This is a difficult matter, but one that can be resolved with a calm mind, no less. Now, please, just like you practiced with Papyrus last night – gather your families and evacuate to the safe caverns."

His people stared at him in silence, until one of them spoke out of the mass.

"So… we have to run now? Because of the humans?"

Oh oh.

"We've done nothing to make them hate us!" Another one stated. "Why do we have to flee?"

More and more Monsters joined in.

"I thought the war was over?"

"This isn't fair!"

"Can't the wizard help us?"

A thousand eyes all at once focused on me. I gritted my teeth. Great.

"No!"

I blinked. Raptor-Kid ran a few steps forward, faceplanted, got up again and turned towards his kind.

"We can't trust him! He's clearly on _their_ side!" He faced me, trembling – not sure if out of excitement or fear. "You lied to me about being sent by humans! And the first thing you did when you saw Undyne?"

 _Don't do it, kid…_

"You attacked her! Just like this other human did!"

 _Goddamn it._

"Bad timing, squirt," Undyne growled through her pointy teeth.

But the kid's words had its effect. The Monsters regarded me anxiously, even with dread; some of them who had greeted me this morning, eyed me doubtfully.

I missed Sans.

I should've just gone searching for him a long time ago.

The protests were getting louder.

"Humans haven't changed. They're exactly like we've heard in the legends."

"Is peaceful coexistence even possible?"

"Look at what that guy did to Undyne! She still has a scar! Had this hit me, I'd probably be dust!"

"And now they have the wizard on their side?"

"We're dead, aren't we?"

"Mommy, I don't want to die yet!"

 _Jesus._

"All of you, SHUT UP!" Undyne roared. Silence spread across the mass of scared Monsters, staring desperately at the fish-woman.

She was furious. "You idiots! Did you forget about Frisk? Did you forget who freed us in the first place? Well, hate to remind ya, but the kid's human too!" She ran over to Frisk, grabbed the kid and held them up high in front of the crowd. Frisk wasn't happy with that position at all. "We should all know better than to blatantly paint them all with the same brush! Frisk showed us that humankind and Monsterkind _can_ get along!" She put the child down again. Frisk used that chance instantly to hurry over to my side.

"And if it means getting them used to us slowly, so what?!" Undyne shouted. "It's worth it!"

Somewhere from the forest behind us, a childish giggle crossed the quiet tension. The sound of it made the hair at the back of my neck stand up and made me grip my staff, turning towards the woods, south of the camp.

"Oh, Undyne. You _can't_ take this child as an example and think that the whole of humanity will be as easily befriended as them. Although – picking _Frisk_ as the ultimate messenger of friendliness is more than ironic."

"That's… Henry's voice," Mandy whispered, pulling herself up.

"It can't be Henry," Corbyn muttered, mirroring her. "He's too stupid for words with more than three syllables."

Another of the lost students came out of the undergrowth, about sixty feet away from the last Monster of the crowd. It was a boy, blonde short hair, burly for his age, a quadratic face and small eyes. His shoulders were hunched forward, and although his voice was loud enough to carry his words all the way to us, he looked like… he was sleepwalking.

"It's Ch- it's _them_ ," Frisk said, shivering.

I froze. "What about Sans?"

The child shook their head. "No, they're still with Sans. They're not… possessing this boy's soul, I can feel it. But they're still using him. They can… speak out of him."

Using a child as a mouthpiece now? Too scared to come out yourself, Chara?

The boy stumbled forward, and behind him – two more children stepped into our view. It was another boy and a girl, walking upright, faces expressionless.

Or at least what was left of their faces.

Blinding rage rushed through me.

These kids were dead. No doubt about it.

The Monsters, all riled up until a second ago, eyed the three children in absolute terror. Some backed away, some were frozen in shock. None of them had any hostility left in them.

Murphy, Molly and Michael, who had been watching the growing Monster turmoil with some concern, reacted all in their own way – Murphy threw out a curse, Molly swallowed and looked at the children with pitiful eyes, and Michael sent another prayer to the heavens.

Mrs. Harris let out a startled cry, which turned into horrified wailing.

Both of the kids' skin had turned completely gray. Their arms and faces were covered with measle-like holes, sizes varying from marbles to tangerines, out of which dripped a strange black liquid. Their eyes – one of the girl's had been replaced by a tangerine-sized hole – were empty.

 _This_ was what Sam would've looked like hadn't Michael been here.

They had been incubators for Chara's goddamned Parasites.

* * *

Frisk

It was too much. Frisk wanted to turn their eyes away so badly, but…

 _This is my fault_.

No, please… it couldn't be…

 _But it_ _ **is**_ **.** _Without Chara, these children would not be standing there. They would be alive. And who let Chara out of the Underground?_

"Don't worry, Monsters," Chara's mouthpiece said. "The human police won't be an issue."

"W-who are you?" Asgore stammered.

"Oh, right," Chara chuckled. "How rude of me."

The boy's body bowed, moving like the puppet of an amateur puppeteer.

"Greetings. I am Chara."

A wordless cry escaped Toriel. The goat Monster fell to her knees, eyes wide, tearing up.

Frisk felt Flowey squirm in the pocket of Sans's jacket. They stuck in their hand, let the plant wrap around their wrist and moved it up to the jacket's hood. Flowey slid beneath the cloth and peeked out. Nobody noticed – everyone was fixated on Chara's puppet human.

"Don't be confused," Chara elaborated calmly, waving around with the boy's hand. "This human boy is only a vessel. I am that very same Chara you are thinking of – Toriel, Asgore." They giggled.

Frisk felt the shiver that ran through the flower.

"Originally, I had planned to give you a helping hand without weighing down your minds by revealing myself to you. However," Chara let the boy point at Mr. Dresden. "A certain _wizard_ and his newly found _friend_ were giving me some trouble. So now, I'm taking this to an open field."

Chara led the boy's voice into a softer sound. "Don't look so scared. I'm on your side. I want to help you."

A blue flash of light went by, and a spear appeared in Undyne's hand.

"So did I get that right – _you're_ the one who did… _this_ to these other two kids?" She growled, pointing at the two zombified children. "And this guy isn't even your real body?"

"Indeed, it was me, Undyne," Chara said. Frisk could hear their conceited smile through the expressionless face of the human mouthpiece.

"Then piss off!" the fish-woman shouted, aggravated. "We don't need or want this kind of help! It would make _us_ the bad guys!"

Chara snickered. "Fortunately, you are not the one to decide over this matter."

A female voice came out of the Monster crowd.

"These two children, are they…"

The boy's shoulders were pulled up casually, miming a shrug. "Dead. Unfortunate side effect, but a necessary sacrifice to ensure the safety of all of you."

"I… I still don't know who or what you are, Chara," the female Monster said, "and I can't speak for anyone except for myself – but, as a mother, I can't accept this. Those humans… they are just children."

Frisk couldn't help but ask themselves where that kind of thought had been when they should have been sacrificed in order to break down the Barrier.

Well, on the other hand, maybe that Monster woman just hadn't known the specifics.

"Heh," Chara snorted. "Are you a goat?"

"P-pardon?" the female Monster stuttered.

"Because, if you're not – then sorry, but your opinion is worthless to me," Chara said unapologetically. "There is only one person that can declare or deny an official alliance with your kind."

"Chara…" Toriel sobbed. "My child… what happened to you?"

"Sorry, _Mother_ , but I didn't mean you either," Chara said coldly. "You've lost your title the second you abandoned your kingdom. You are not fit to be a queen anymore."

The Monsters started to whisper to each other restlessly, the air filled with unintelligible buzzing of hundreds of voices.

"My child." Asgore said, voice filled with sadness, but also desperate strength.

" _Finally_ ," Chara responded, satisfied. "Let's-"

"Do not dare to use that tone when you speak to my Queen," the Monster King growled, taking Toriel by her left arm and pulling her up.

"Ha ha, real funny, _Dad_ ," Chara said. "But shut up for a second and listen to me. And keep in mind – this is about _your_ people. Be a king, not the bumbling buffoon you usually are." Chara spread the boy's arms, as if to encompass the whole area. "You've seen it – the Monsters are vulnerable and scared. Forget the wizards, normal humans alone now possess the weapons _and_ the numbers to wipe your measly group from the face of the Earth. I can offer much needed protection, a position of power and viable knowledge of the human society. Oh, and by the way, _Dad-_ " they added smugly, "I told the wizard _everything_."

Asgore froze and only dared to look at Mr. Dresden for a very short time.

The tall man's face was like a closed book.

"He wasn't all that happy when he learned about what you did," Chara continued. "I'm sure there will be repercussions. And what will your people do, once their king has been executed for murder?" They cackled. "Provided they won't be put on wizard trial for being accomplices of your crime. Choose wisely, King of the Monsters."

"No," Asgore said simply.

That threw Chara out of the loop. Their puppet slumped forward and almost fell flat on his face, before they regained control and let him stand semi-upright again.

"Wai- you-"

"Your way of help seems to include quite a lot of suffering and death on the humans' side, Chara" the king said firmly. "But I seek no further conflict with them."

"Liar!" Chara screeched. "Have you forgotten about Asriel?! HE decided to leave the humans be, and see where that got him!"

Flowey flinched and pulled himself back under Frisk's hood.

"They attacked _your_ son, no more than a child, with spears and arrows!" Chara screamed. "They insulted him! Pursued him! Chased him like they were a pack of rabid dogs! _I. WAS. THERE._ Do you _really_ want to be as stupid as he was and damn not only yourself, but your entire species to the same fate?"

"I know far too well what happened to my son," Asgore responded, his voice laced in deep sadness. "But the war is over. And if a side starts a new one, it will not be mine."

Frisk glanced at Mr. Dresden. There was a hint of reluctant appreciation on the wizard's face.

The Monster King turned to the buzzing crowd, which automatically went silent.

"Hear me, my people! As your king, I've made many mistakes. I like to think that I've learned from them and became a better person. Chara is horribly wrong when they call your opinions irrelevant. True, I am a king. But what is a king without his kingdom? Answer my call, Monsterkind: Do you support my decision?"

Frisk stared at Asgore, awe-struck. Never before had they seen him act so… king-like.

The crowd stayed silent for a moment longer – until single encouraging yells erupted from the middle, growing louder, gaining support by the others, to the point where every single Monster seemed to be cheering for their King.

"Yeah!" Undyne bellowed, pointing her spear at the human puppet. "What do you say now, creep?"

"Undyne, please," Asgore said, and turned back to Chara's mouthpiece. "There you go, Chara. I appreciate the thought; I condemn the method." His expression softened, letting in the sadness again. "These two deaths caused by your hands are two too many already; just like the six lives I am guilty of ending."

Murphy and Mr. Davis startled.

"What did he just say?" The blonde woman mumbled. Nobody bothered to give her an answer.

"My child, please," Asgore said, "let these children be at peace."

The Monster crowd grew silent again, waiting for the response.

Chara grunted. "I'd say I can't believe it – but then I would be lying. Fine, have it your way. I'll stick around and watch. You'll change your mind soon enough," they muttered.

"One thing, though," they let the boy add, and pointed to the forest where the three children had come from. "Better come up with a plan quickly. The police will arrive in less than fifteen minutes."


	18. Chapter 18 - Let's Go Kick Some Ass

**Chapter 18: Let's Go Kick Some Ass**

Harry

As soon as Chara had forced those last bits of information out of the boy's mouth, their puppet fell over, face forward onto the hard ground. The zombie-children sneaked back into the undergrowth, where they had come from. At any other given time, I would've gone after them and released those poor kids from their suffering, but I had the feeling that that was what Chara wanted. Something to keep me distracted. Something to drain me even more, so it would be easier to take over, if given the chance.

The fastest way to stop them was finally finding Sans.

Just one teensy problem.

If the police forces were actually coming, the Monsters needed protection. Preferably human protection, as the probability of that being gunned down was considerably lower, than if we just put Undyne in charge of defending all of these people.

And being a wizard didn't give me the ability to split myself in two. At least not in my current state.

While the Monster crowd broke out in a confused panic again, and Asgore, Undyne, Papyrus, Frisk and a slowly recovering Toriel tried to calm them down, I felt a small but strong fist hit me in the upper arm.

"I know that face," Murphy said. "This whole situation's pretty effed up. You've got to go, right?"

"Saving Sans won't mean much if the rest of the Monsters are gunned down by a couple of humans," I explained, and received yet another hit. "Ow! Murph, what's your deal?"

"Ahem?" She said, pointing at herself with her thumb. "There are more than enough competent humans _and_ Monsters around that can deal with that kind of drama."

"You're wasting your time, Sgt. Murphy," Molly said, stepping to her side. "I told him as well. He won't listen."

"Oh, he _will_ ," Murphy emphasized. "The difference, Ms. Carpenter, is: If _you_ do it, it's rebellious teenager talk. If _I_ do it, it's a well-meaning advice from a friend that he _has_ to take."

"The wording is a bit off, but they are both right, Harry," Michael chimed in. "You have a terrible habit of attempting to do everything by yourself. I, as well, have told you this many a times, I believe."

"If all of you are finished reprimanding me, last time I checked, none of you were bullet-proof. Plus, I don't think any of you can conjure up a shield big enough to protect all of the Monsters at the same time," I replied, annoyed.

Murphy did a pretend-surprised face. "Oh. You can?"

"No," I growled, "but I can shield more than all of you together."

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Dresden."

In disbelief, I turned around, facing Asgore. The guy had seriously impressed me with his speech before, even though I didn't want it to be true.

"Would you look at that," I said. "Someone's not afraid that I'd kill him at any second anymore."

The king… _chuckled_. "No, Mr. Dresden. I was never afraid to die. I was scared for my people, worrying what might happen to them if you knew the whole truth." His face grew stern. "But now that you are still distraught over their lack of protection, I have to apologize for thinking of you like this. You do not have to worry about my people, Mr. Dresden – that is _my_ duty. We will evacuate, like we said before, and leave some behind for negotiations with the humans." He did a waving gesture towards Mrs. Harris and Davis, who were taking care of the middle school students – Amy, Noah, Mandy and Corbyn – who appeared understandably traumatized after seeing their classmates like that.

"The children will be sent to the safe caverns as well," Asgore said, "to prevent them from getting in-between the fronts." The King bowed politely. "I thank you for all that you have done for us until now, Wizard. And I accept your feelings of hostility towards me. Do not misunderstand – I do not ask you for absolution. I'm asking you to put your sentence on hold, until I can ensure my people's safety."

I didn't react, because – honestly – I didn't know how to. Up until now, I had been comfortable dividing people into good and bad. But this guy had killed six innocent people and now _still_ had the nerve to act all dignified and honorable.

"I'll get back to that when we have the time," I said in the end.

The king nodded. "You have my everlasting gratitude, Mr. Dresden."

 _Stop. That._

"Asgore, go with our people, quickly," Toriel joined in. Her voice was audibly less harsh than before when she addressed her ex-husband. Asgore took a parting bow to me and my group, and walked off.

"You are leaving, I reckon," the Queen said to me. There were trails of the tears from when Chara's appearance had made her mourn her two dead and lost children all over again. The smile she gave me was sad, but strong. "We will manage on our own, Mr. Dresden. The child that Cha-… the child that was used as a vessel, I will do my best to have him get back up."

I frowned. "Be careful. My best guess is that Chara-"

She winced at the name, but other than that, she kept calm.

"- my best guess is that they used another one of their damned Parasites to convey the message," I continued. "They're connected somehow. I know Chara – _sorry_ – is the one who controls them, I'm just not quite sure to what extent yet. If they did it like I think they did, the Parasite is probably around, if not still attached to the kid." I exhaled through my nose. "I had hoped I had killed the last few adult ones off an hour ago. Guess they had some backup."

Toriel's eyes widened in horrified realization. "They… _they_ were the one who…" She shook her head. "I guess after seeing the display from before, it should not come as a surprise to me. Well then, maybe your student could assist me, if the 'Parasite' is still there."

"Can do," Molly threw in, ignoring my critical glance.

The Monster Queen stared at the ground. "Mr. Dresden, I am awfully sorry that you and your friends have been dragged into this whole predicament until now, and I thank you wholeheartedly for your willingness to help-"

This was going a bit too far. I felt myself turn red and just _knew_ Murphy was going to make fun of me afterwards.

"It might be presumptuous of me to say this," Toriel continued, "but I have one more request – as I can't convince Frisk to evacuate with the others instead of coming with you – please watch over my child."

"Promoted to be the babysitter, huh?" Murphy grinned, nudging me in the side. I glowered at her, but she wasn't impressed at all. "Seriously, Dresden, go. You'll just be in the way if you stay. If I want help to get somebody's ass kicked, I call you. If I want to de-escalate a confrontational situation, you're the last one I'd want to be there." She smirked at me. "Too bad you're taking Michael with you, though. _He'd_ do a great job in diffusing tensions."

"I feel so appreciated," I snorted, but finally turned towards Frisk and Papyrus, who had been anxiously waiting for me to come over. "Let's go, then."

I whistled for Mouse to join us and took off.

Thanks, Murph.

* * *

"So, uhm… Michael, was it?" Frisk asked, placed more or less comfortably on Papyrus's shoulders again. We had left the camp behind us, and were heading off somewhere to the West, following the soul-link. Michael hummed in agreement, easily keeping up with the skeleton's wide strides.

"Are you… a wizard as well?" the child continued.

"No," the man answered simply, but friendly. "I'm just a good friend of Harry's."

"And why do you carry a sword?" Frisk eyed Amoracchius's hilt with respect and uncertainty.

Michael chuckled. "I was chosen to bear it."

The kid frowned at the insufficient explanation. "Is it a magical sword?"

"It's a holy sword," Michael clarified patiently.

Frisk gulped. "Is it… do you kill possessed people with it?"

"The sword is not for killing," Michael replied sternly. "It's for saving."

"Weird sword," Frisk noted, not convinced.

"Don't worry," Michael reassured them, "I'm here to help, not to fight."

"Not mutually exclusive," I pointed out, earning a discontented glance from Michael. I shrugged, trying my best not to make my strained breathing too obvious. Now that we were running again – this blasted mountain was seriously ticking me off – I felt it all returning to me; the headache, the dizziness, the nausea… and the concerning lack of magical energy.

After this was over, I really had to lay down for the rest of the day.

"WHAT ABOUT YOUR ILLNESS, TALL HUMAN? YOU WERE SICK JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO!" Papyrus exclaimed, worried. "I CAN CARRY YOU, IF YOU'D LIKE!"

"I'm fine, Toriel chased it off," I said.

Mouse howled quietly and eyed me critically. My dog knew I was spouting bullshit.

"Care to tell me now what I am supposed to do on this rescue mission?" Michael said. "I feel like I should know what the plan is before I run into battle."

"You, my friend, are our trump card," I explained. "I think that Amoracchius is going to do wonders when it comes to _saving_ the world from any more of Chara's Parasites."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Asriel/Flowey's voice entered the conversation "But isn't there one thing you folks keep forgetting?"

I barely stopped myself from groaning.

Michael stumbled, but caught himself before falling. He stared up at Frisk, whose hood began to move, and the plant stuck out his head.

"What in the Holy Spirit's name is _this_?"

The flower winked at him. "Howdy. I'm Flowey. I'm also a trump card. Which means we've got a cheating deck." His distorted laughter bashed on my headache like a loose hammer.

"Don't listen to anything he says, Michael," I said. "You're better off that way." I glared at the plant, keeping up with Papyrus's tempo. It wasn't easy.

"What 'thing' are you talking about?"

Asriel/Flowey grimaced, speaking slightly more politely. "You know. The teleportation thing. How are we supposed to get him hold still enough so I can take his soul?"

"You did it once already, didn't you?" Frisk asked the flower. "When you took all the Monsters' souls and… and destroyed the Barrier. Can't you do it like that again?"

The plant cackled. "Heh. I had the power of six human souls at that point, Frisk."

"What?" Michael asked. I shook my head and instantly regretted it, while the pain pulsated behind my temples. "Don't ask. I'll tell you later."

"I was fast and strong enough to grab all of them by their souls at once. You can't run or teleport if your soul is stuck in one place," the flower explained sadistically – then went neutral again. "Anyway, I'm not nearly powerful enough now. He _and_ Chara would see me coming from miles away."

"I don't like it," I mumbled, "But we'll have to knock him out first."

"NO!" Papyrus and Frisk cried simultaneously.

I frowned. "What?"

"MY BROTHER IS VERY FRAGILE!" Papyrus said.

"He has only one HP," Frisk stammered. "If you hit him once, he… he dies."

Are you freaking kidding me?

"HP?" Michael repeated.

"How the hell did this guy ever manage to kill you, kid?" I asked Frisk, ignoring how they paled at that question. "Over ninety times, nonetheless?"

"SANS DID WHAT?!" Papyrus shouted.

"Kill? Over ninety times? Harry, what is going on?"

" _Later_ , Michael," I groaned.

Flowey snickered. Well, at least _one_ of us found this situation hilarious.

"We'll just have to deal with the teleportation then and there," I said.

Frisk nodded. "It's Sans. He's bound to get tired at some point or other. He even fell asleep before I-" They stopped again. I finished the sentence mentally.

Gosh, kid. That's just… brutal.

We followed my soul for another ten minutes, until I sensed the connection getting stronger.

"We're close," I said. And that was good. I was almost completely drained. The last mile had been nothing but going upwards, climbing rocky paths, all in all not such a great experience when you're sick – and supposed to fight later.

Frisk, who had slid down from Papyrus's back, scanned their surroundings. "We're… almost at the point where we broke the Barrier. Close to the exit. If we went through the giant opening up there, we would end up in Asgore's Throne Room."

"Okay, then let's stop for a second," I said. "Before we meet up with our demon friend, there's something I want to know." And I needed a little time to catch my breath – plus, the surrounding rocks, trees and grass patches were alarmingly swaying up and down as if we were on a boat. Which we weren't.

My five companions – Papyrus, Michael, Mouse, Flowey and Frisk – gathered around me.

"Frisk. Why are _you_ here?" I asked. The kid flinched.

"Wait, I thought they had an important role in this," Michael said, confused. "You just took them with you, without any reason whatsoever?"

Frisk avoided my gaze and picked a few strands of grass from the dried up ground. "I… I owe it to Sans. I want to help."

"And how did you think you were going to help?" I pressed on.

The child fidgeted. "I came to that conclusion when we were at the camp. I thought… maybe I could convince Chara to come back to me. They already had control over my soul, I'm sure they can easily get it back once they switch bodies."

I sighed.

"Am I hearing this right?" Michael asked. "This child has been possessed by that… Chara before?"

"Yes," I said. "And apparently, it killed off their brain-cells. Frisk, aren't you afraid that you could die from this?"

Frisk shook their head. "Even though they could have easily done it at any point once they took control – they never erased me. I don't think Chara is… entirely bad." They ducked their head. "That being said, I doubt they'll treat Sans the same way. Chara wouldn't want to risk it."

Chara wasn't entirely bad? Sorry, kid, but that was just naïve.

"So you wanted to lure them back into your body so we would have an easier time exorcising them?" I asked. Frisk smiled at me embarrassedly.

"Actually, I… was wondering if we could find a more… peaceful solution."

"I WOULD PREFER THAT AS WELL," Papyrus said. "CHARA MIGHT BE BAD, BUT MAYBE THEY CAN DO BETTER IF THEY TRY!"

I facepalmed. "You can't be serious with this."

"I told you," Flowey muttered. "They're all idiots. I'm still for smashing the smiley trash-bag to bits, and blasting Chara off into oblivion. Before they can do any more harm."

It had really come to this. I was agreeing with the evil flower over Frisk and Papyrus.

Not on the 'smashing Sans to bits' part, of course.

Michael had just straight up given up on trying to understand anything and was waiting patiently – as did Mouse.

"Did you forget those two kids back at the camp already?" I growled. The pacifist way Frisk and Papyrus were suggesting was actually making me angry. " _Chara_ did that. They _killed_ those kids, and hadn't Sans – you, Papyrus – Toriel – Michael or me been around at the right times, there would be even more dead children. Don't you care at all?! Chara is a _murderer_!"

"So am I," Frisk said coolly. "So is Flowey. So is Asgore. And even Sans, if you count me." They crossed their arms. "And if your LV is as high as I think it is, Mr. Dresden, then I think: so are you."

Don't go there, kid. Don't you dare go there.

"They. Killed. Innocents," I growled through gritted teeth.

"So did I," Frisk repeated stubbornly. "And I don't see you killing me for it."

There it went. My patience was gone.

"Well, kid, _you_ will face the consequences of your actions soon enough, don't you worry about that," I snarled. Frisk paled.

"Harry!" Michael scolded me, shocked. Papyrus put a hand on the kid's shoulder, pulling them slightly behind him, as if he was trying to shield them from… me.

"I AM SORRY, TALL HUMAN, BUT THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR."

I took a deep breath and tried to soften the blow for what it was worth. "Look, Frisk – the difference is that _your_ victims are alive again. You actively went back and tried from then on to do everything in and outside your strength to help and protect."

Frisk chuckled bitterly. "That's not it, Mr. Dresden. They forced me to. Chara forced me to confront my guilt. To bring all of the people back. It all would have never happened, were it not for Chara. Without them – there would have been no second chance. There would have been no last try." They looked at me, tears of shame in their eyes. "I wouldn't have come back."

"Without Chara, you wouldn't have killed anyone in the first place," I countered. But the kid's last sentence stuck with me. I didn't sound as convinced as I wanted to.

Frisk bit their lower lip, until a drop of blood welled out of their skin. "I'm not so sure about that," they whispered.

I gripped my nose bridge and pressed my eyes closed.

"Fine. Give Flowey to me – you're going to stay here, Frisk."

"But-" The kid started to protest.

"No buts!" I said harshly, silencing the child immediately. "Mouse, you'll watch them. They won't do as I say on their own."

Mouse wagged his tail at me, but whimpered sadly.

I gave him a strained smile. "Sorry, buddy. You're going to be done babysitting when we get home."

I nodded at a very upset Papyrus and a condemning Michael.

"Let's go."

* * *

Following my soul's connection, we ended up entering the mountain once again and finally encountered the skeleton at the place Frisk had mentioned before – Asgore's Throne Room.

The cavern's ceiling was much higher in here, at some places it even had holes in it, letting a few rays of evening sunlight illuminate the whole room. The air was filled with the smell of golden buttercup flowers, which covered almost the whole ground. Amidst the giant patch of flowers was a big, decorated throne – probably Asgore's, as another chair of roughly the same size stood in the corner of the cave, draped in a white blanket. Probably Toriel's.

And next to that blanket – was Sans.

Asleep.

"Is that him?" Michael whispered, scanning the room from our entrance. "I don't see any traps."

"I don't think there are any," Flowey muttered, wrapped around my arm again. "That's just the way he is."

"Think you can sneak up on him and take his soul?" I mouthed, struggling against Papyrus who wanted to do nothing more than run to his brother and hug him.

Flowey's eyes widened, then morphed into their distorted 'scary' version.

"Are you nuts? Why do I have to do that? If he smashes me, it's over!"

"It would be the easiest way," I said quietly. "Go do it."

The plant grumbled some unintelligible childish curse words and slid down my arm, disappearing into the ground. Three inches from the sleeping skeleton, he popped up again, and slowly, _slowly_ reached forward to the skeleton's ribcage area.

The second the flower touched Sans's jacket, the skeleton's eyes flew open; the plant was ripped from the ground and smashed against one of the cavern's pillars.

" **i really can't** _ **dill**_ **with you right now, sticks,"** Sans growled. **"plenty busy with this other** _ **grain**_ **-fart of a person."**

Despite the puns, the short guy was majorly pissed. The power that pressed Flowey against the stones was so strong that the air pressure around us was noticeably higher.

"W-wait, S-Sans," Flowey gasped "I was only-"

 **"trying to get my soul?"** Sans chuckled, but it was void of any joy. **"there seems to be a high demand for it lately."**

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, _comedian_ ," another voice commented, annoyed – and coming out of the skeleton as well. It was the voice of a young child, which made it generally more disturbing. "It's not like I _chose_ your soul. Besides, might want to check the door. As- _Flowey_ brought friends."

 **"that guy has friends?"** , Sans mumbled. He got up, turned around and froze. Flowey let out a relieved gasp and fell down from the pillar.

 **"p-paps?"**

"NYEH! BROTHER!" Papyrus shouted, overjoyed and teary-eyed. I still had to hold him back from running up to the small skeleton. I somehow doubted it would be a good idea. "YOU ARE OKAY! … MOSTLY! YOUR RIGHT EYE IS A BIT WEIRD. BUT THAT IS NOTHING WE CAN'T TAKE CARE OF!"

Sans's glowing pupils both looked a little off. The left one gleamed blue, the other one was bright red.

"Hi, Sans. Sorry we took so long," I said.

The skeleton's perpetual grin grew tense. **"i don't think i know you. the wizard i know wouldn't be so braindead and come here, bringing the** _ **one**_ **soul chara actually wants right into their range."** He glowered at me. **"and he especially wouldn't have dragged my** _ **brother**_ **into this mess."**

Ouch. He really was in a bad mood.

Sans's light pupils wandered over to Michael.

 **"you're new."**

"I'm Michael."

The skeleton nodded. **"hi michael. the name's sans. nice weapon. killed many with it?"**

Michael gripped Amoracchius' hilt. "The sword is not for killing."

 **"weird sword,"** Sans noted.

"Sans, we're here to help you," I said.

Chara's voice sounded out of Sans's unmoving face. "Oh _pray tell_ , wizard. Are these people around you really the only ones you got? I don't know about the Knights Templar, but the idiot brother?" They giggled. "And _Flowey?_ What, do you _want_ to be betrayed?"

"I took him so he could watch you getting pummeled," I responded, raising my staff.

"Stop fooling around, _Harry_ ," Chara said smugly. "I used Sans's Checking skill on you."

"– **sorry, bud –"**

"You're on your last legs. You're the last one I'd have to be afraid of."

I smirked. "That means you would be scared if I was at my normal power."

Chara didn't respond. Sans chuckled, a little less angry. **"spot on."**

His amusement didn't hold for long. Instead, the skeleton's eye-socket widened slightly.

 **"creepy invisible insects incoming,"** he warned us.

I let out a shout of frustration, opening my Sight.

Not _again_.

The pain was hell, but somehow, I fought through it. I Discovered two of Chara's pets right behind us at the entrance/exit frame, grabbed Michael and Papyrus and dragged us three towards the middle of the cave. My Sight flickered for a second, and went out – my mind shut it off automatically, leaving yet more room for the headache.

"What the… what are you doing?" I heard Flowey call after us.

"Michael! Remember the kid you healed before?" I asked, supporting myself with my staff.

"Of course."

"The eighteen-plus versions of his infestation are here," I explained – and coughed. "Really thought I had taken care of most of them."

Out of Sans's skull, Chara's amused cackling echoed through the cavern.

"You- you thought… wow, I almost feel bad for you. You couldn't have been more wrong, wizard!" They raised Sans's right arm. "There, watch!"

The ceiling started to shake, debris and dust came falling down, followed by pebbles and smaller rocks.

A giant crack tore through the dome.

* * *

Frisk

Mr. Dresden's dog was restless. Every twenty seconds, he got up, went around in a semi-circle, not leaving Frisk out of his sight, but at the same time throwing nervous glances into the direction the wizard had gone. The child, arms wrapped around their knees, wanted to ease the dog's concern, but they somehow felt like Mouse wouldn't have appreciated the gesture at the moment.

The silence was unnerving. Frisk gnashed their teeth together, cursing themselves for being so honest with Mr. Dresden.

' _I would have left them all for dead, were it not for Chara. Now please take this unstable child you're not sure if you can trust with you to a fight you are unprepared for.' That's just plain logic, right there._ _ **Why**_ _would he leave me here, this just comes_ _ **so**_ _unexpected._

"I'm sorry, Mouse," the child mumbled. "You wouldn't have to be here, had I just done as Mum wanted me to, and evacuated with the others."

The dog eyed them knowingly and sat down, not losing an ounce of tension.

"But, you know… I just thought that maybe I could talk Chara out of it. I'm not sure. I just like to think that the three years we were together affected them in some way, too. Not… not just me." They really had struggled with the idea of offering Chara their soul a second time, after finally being free. But this was the only thing they could think of to redeem themselves; and to finally show Sans that they earnestly wanted to help, that they had nothing but good intentions towards Monsterkind anymore. They… a part of them really just wanted their friend back.

Frisk stared at a small pebble between their feet.

A few minutes went by.

The pebble _moved_.

Mouse's head twitched. The dog jumped on all four paws, his fur standing up, and whined, glaring off into the distance.

"What happened, Mouse?" Frisk tore themselves away from the pebble and got up as well. "Is-"

Then they felt it, too. The ground was shaking. Mouse barked, tail upright and stiff, nervous.

"They're in trouble, aren't they?" The child said. They had a bad feeling about this.

Mouse barked affirmatively.

"Then let's go!"

The dog eyed them doubtfully.

"I'll stay out of trouble, I promise. I'm good at that," the child tried to appease their watchdog. Mouse whined, the end of his tail wagging indecisively. Another tremble went through the ground. Frisk's breath became shallow. "Come on!"

Mouse barked again and jumped forward, sniffing the air and running off; all the while being just slow enough for Frisk to keep up.

They didn't take longer than three minutes when Frisk became sure of their destination. The two of them were heading for the exit of the Underground. So Chara – and Sans – really were there, after all. The entrance to the cavern was just behind another elevation, blocked from sight by a human-sized bolder.

Mouse disappeared from the child's sight as he leaped from one protruding rock-formation to another. Frisk grabbed the nearest holds and heaved their body up, pulling themselves over the ridge next to Mouse, and got up – only to drop back to their knees immediately.

Their lower lip started trembling as their blood was drained from their face.

"No. No, this can't be."

The cave had collapsed. There was no entrance anymore.

There was no Papyrus, Mr. Dresden, Michael or Flowey, either.

Had they… were they…

Frisk's sight blurred, their eyes filling up with tears. They almost jumped when Mouse started growling.

The child got up, scanned their surroundings more thoroughly and detected another person this time – Sans.

The skeleton was standing atop the rubble, eyes empty, frozen in place.

But once Frisk looked at him, he started moving again, folding his arms and nodding at them. A red light flared up in his right eye-socket.

"Hi, Frisk. Did you miss me already?"

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. It was a child's voice.

It was Chara's voice.

The skeleton stumbled a few awkward steps towards the child and the dog, as if only one of his legs was properly listening to him. Mouse bared his teeth, lowered his head and growled deeply.

Chara jolted away with Sans's body and regarded the dog carefully.

"A really troublesome mutt, this one," Chara mumbled.

Frisk clenched their fist in agony. "Did you… is Sans already…"

" _Relax_ , my friend. The skeleton is just… preoccupied at the moment." They giggled. "Too scared for his brother to concentrate on what's going on around him." The right half of Sans's perpetual grin turned smug. It was unnerving. "But I'm sure he's glad to see you as well."

Sans's body fell to his knees. Chara's voice sighed in faux-sympathy. "Oh my, don't be so scared, Sansy. I'd never kill your brother _twice_."

The stone rubble behind them began to shake, followed by an ear-rapturing explosion. Rocks of all sizes propelled aside, and a giant cloud of dust welled up from the detonation center. As the dust slowly subsided, three silhouettes became visible – Papyrus, Harry and Michael.

Frisk laughed out in relief, wiping their tears away.

"There, you see?" Chara said. Their voice turned ominous. "That should've been it for the wizard's magical reserves."

Mr. Dresden took a step forward, coughing, one of Papyrus's gloved hands on his left shoulder.

"You're in for a big disappointment."

He shot a glance at Frisk, and raised his eyebrows questioningly, but didn't say anything about their presence.

"THE TALL HUMAN AND I HAVE JOINED FORCES!" Papyrus proclaimed. "FRET NOT, SANS! WE WILL SAVE YOU FROM THE EVIL ONE!"

Chara didn't sound at all impressed when they responded. "So, you're tapping into Papy's energy reservoir now, I take it. Let's see how long that'll work out." They raised Sans's right hand and snapped his finger bones.

The earth started rumbling again. Mouse barked loudly and ran over to Harry, jumping behind the wizard, seemingly shielding the tall man and the other two from something that was concealed to Frisk's eyes.

Mr. Dresden turned his back on Sans and the child, slowly raising his head, looking upwards at the invisible thing.

"Well," he remarked dryly. " _Somebody_ took too many steroids."

* * *

Harry

It was my old acquaintance that had managed to escape two times already. Apparently, the Caterpillar had learned from those times and had decided to grow up – literally. With Papyrus's help, I Studied the now over twenty feet high copy of an insect, part of it towering upright before me, and couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"Just… how. When?! The last time I saw this thing, it was a third the size!"

And it was preparing an attack. A few of its now three feet long and several inches thick bristles shivered, moving independently from the others, aiming at the three of us.

"Michael?" I muttered. He nodded, looking at the enemy's pet without seeing it.

"Dodge!" I jumped to the side, pulling Papyrus ("NYEH!") with me, just as the bristles shot out of the Caterpillar's side, two of them piercing the rock-hard ground behind us. I Checked for Michael, who had bolted to the other side and was now readying Amoracchius at the invisible foe. Both the man and the sword were engulfed in a golden light, almost blinding to the Sight.

"The Lord may show me the right way," he mumbled, and the sword's blade glowed even brighter.

Me, not very convinced of the Lord's capabilities as a guide, shared a brief look with Mouse.

My dog barked and joined Michael's side.

"Thank you, Mouse," Michael said. The wooly mammoth barked again and wagged his tail at him.

Chara's voice commented from the sidelines. "To answer your question, _Harry_ – this one and the others have been feeding on souls for days now. It had two growth spurts the last hour, I made it enter the developmental stage, just for you."

I frowned, ducking out of the way of two more bristles.

"That's just cheating." Pulling up my will, I threw a short glance over my shoulder at Papyrus. The guy kept up with my movements better than I had expected. He seemed to have a knack for fighting, ironically.

"You ready to retaliate?"

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS READY!"

* * *

Frisk

It… to be honest, it would have looked ridiculous, watching the two men, the skeleton and the dog pacing around, dodging basically nothing… were it not for the holes that drilled into the ground just inches away from them at every turn by something invisible and undeniably hostile.

Frisk bit at their lip, standing to the side, unable to help.

Suddenly, something slumped down to the ground right next to them. The child jumped and let out a startled scream.

Sans sat there, cross-legged. His left eye-socket now had the light back in it as well – the blue one. It focused mainly on Papyrus and was filled with concern. Sans's left arm shivered, as though he struggled to lift it and help, but he just wouldn't manage to do so.

Chara's red light shot to the side, looking at Frisk.

"Welcome. Don't be so tense, Frisk. Take a sit." They pat a weak patch of grass next to Sans.

Frisk fought back the desire to run away from the ghost child that had been possessing and influencing them for years, and instead closed their eyes, forcing themselves to speak.

"Chara, please – let Sans go. You… you can come back to me if you want, and I'll…"

"Very thoughtful of you," Chara smirked. "As always. But sorry, I'll have to decline. The horrible stats aside, his skills are far more useful than yours. Plus, if he happens to _bite the dust_ , I'm not going to miss him."

That struck a chord. The thought of losing the skeleton again brought tears to Frisk's eyes and made them clench their fists in hopeless frustration.

"I'll have to destroy his mind anyway as soon as I can take over," Chara added coldly, "He's too smart an opponent to be left alive."

Frisk closed their eyes and cried silently.

"Please, don't…"

"Don't worry," Chara said apathetically. "You'll have enough time to say goodbye. He's putting up more of a fight than I thought; I have yet to take over more than half his body. But look – almost half his body means I already have some of his skills down."

They raised Sans's right arm, and Frisk felt a very familiar force take their whole body, lifting them up in the air, letting them float four of five feet above the ground. Horror paralyzed Frisk's limbs as they recalled the countless times they had died shortly after a stunt just like that. Their throat closed up, their heart started racing.

"Brilliant, isn't it?" Chara said, seemingly unaware of Frisk's panicked reaction, flicking the skeleton's wrist ever so slightly, bringing the defenseless child up another three feet. A fearful whimper escaped from Frisk's mouth.

The sound finally made Sans aware of what was happening. The skeleton raised his head, glanced at the floating child with his blue eye, and frowned.

 **"stop that."**

He regained the control over his left side and, a moment later, Frisk sensed how the power keeping them afloat and in place lessened, slowly letting them back down on the ground. As soon as the child's feet touched the rocky surface, they wrapped their arms around themselves, trying to relax.

Sans's blue pupil flickered as if the skeleton wanted to say something, but then he just turned his attention back to the fight.

It resembled the training for a medieval play – Mr. Dresden shot out various fire spells from his staff, burning several patches of the mossy ground around him, then ducking beneath imperceptible projectiles and firing another spell against an apparently huge foe; Papyrus always stayed close to him, eager to help. Mouse had bitten into something and was now tossing and turning on the ground. Michael, on the other hand, slashed the air with his sword. The burly man's eyes were closed. No wonder, he probably wasn't able to see whatever he was fighting against just as much as Frisk. And yet – every sword strike seemed to connect with something.

Was Sans able to see the things the group was combatting, now that he and Chara struggled against each other? It appeared that possessing him entailed completely different consequences and abilities than possessing Frisk.

And yet…

The child forced themselves to sit down next to Chara's side of Sans's body and, after a grim inner debate, Frisk took the skeleton's arm and pulled at it to get the ghost-child's attention back.

"Chara… just why are you doing this?" The child's voice was trembling, but they were determined to find a way to convince the other one to stop with the madness.

"Curious," Chara replied, their red eye rolling to the side, completely independent from Sans's other pupil. "I thought I already explained myself multiple times. I want to save Monsterkind."

But couldn't they see that _this_ would never lead to a good ending?

"There are other ways to-"

"When I offered Dad an alliance-" Chara interrupted them briskly. "Undyne had a hole in her arm, recently healed. What happened?"

Frisk avoided the red eye's gaze.

"… one of the two humans that found them misunderstood a situation and shot at her."

Chara lifted Sans's right arm and shrugged.

"There you go. It's been _five_ days. Five days, Frisk, and you already almost lost one of the only Monsters that could hold herself against a human. Imagine had it been any other, less tough Monster… Imagine the guy had been a better shot and had hit her head or heart. Not even a week – and the only reason you didn't lose Undyne or another Monster was because you got lucky."

They had a point.

Why did they always have to have a point.

Frisk studied the ground between their feet and frantically tried to think of another way to change Chara's mind. However, all they could think of, was…

"I don't get it," Frisk muttered. "You… you _wanted_ me to kill everyone we encountered back in the Underground. _You_ talked me into it. You _helped_ me. Why do you care now?"

Chara chuckled joylessly. "Well, would _you_ do it now? Back then, it didn't _matter_ if people died. Life was a game, almost _literally_. Now? There are no resets here. You know, Frisk…" Their red eye lightened up and narrowed. Their voice sounded adverse when they continued. "Ever since Asriel and I died – I could somewhat leave the Underground from time to time, for a few hours a day. I had the opportunity to watch humans for hundreds of years. When I say that Monsters will _need_ protection, it's not paranoia. It's experience." Their eye rebound to watching the fight again. "Asgore will change his mind sooner or later," they muttered sinisterly. "The second Toriel crumbles to dust in front of him his whole pacifist farce will perish along with her."

* * *

Harry

"Fuego!"

Another fireball hit the giant Caterpillar square at the side, burning away several bristles before it died down. It was meaningless. The bristles regrew quickly; and while I was wasting my time and Papyrus's energy on the big guy, several more Parasites came crawling out from puddles of the gooey liquid that were spread over the area. In a fit of rage, I raised the staff, rammed it into the ground and shouted another fire spell, incinerating eight of the newcomers to dust as soon as their ugly heads peeked out from the puddles. Immediately, a feeling of guilt pushed the rage aside when I reminded myself that I was not solely using my own power here.

None of my spells were the least bit draining, it felt like I could go all out for days on end – because Papyrus was taking the aftermath of almost all of it. Despite knowing this, it was hard not to act out on that power-high.

Mouse's barking brought me back to reality. I glimpsed at Michael and my dog, to see how they were doing – and paled. Three of the adult Parasites were gaining in on the unsuspecting Knight of the Cross. Mouse was out of reach, struggling with two of the insects himself.

I threw my arm forward, ready to utter another spell to shield Michael. However, I was too slow. By the time I had brought up my will, the Parasite closest to the man jumped at him, legs stretched out to cling to its new desired host.

I shouldn't have brought him here with me. Stupid idea.

"No!" I yelled, starting to run, even though I knew it was pointless. Papyrus lost contact with me, and the stream of energy input broke off.

I Watched, as the Parasite hit Michael – and disintegrated upon impact with the golden layer of light coating the Knight of the Cross.

…

Okay. That was neat.

Still on the sidelines, Sans's body jumped up forcibly, and Chara's voice bellowed out in disbelief.

"What?! What did you do?!"

Michael turned around, calmly rubbing his back where the Parasite had hit him. "I can honestly say that I have no idea."

"HUMAN! LOOK!" Papyrus chimed in, pulling my attention to him. "I THINK I HIT SOMETHING!"

Bones were sticking out of the Caterpillar, obstructing its movements. A sadistic grin spread over my face.

"You sure did. Good work, Paps."

The power-high I had been on was subsiding already, and I stumbled a few steps sideways, trying to keep my balance.

"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus laughed proudly, closed up to me and grabbed my shoulder; At once, the energy-connection was back up.

Meanwhile, Michael leaped in and slashed the Parasite between the bones – now that Papyrus had marked the damned thing, he could finally see where he had to strike. The cut was still shallow, far from clean, but the Caterpillar screeched deafeningly all the same; a milky liquid squirted out of the wound and covered the ground. The Parasite howled, went down on the ground and fled, taking cover behind a bolder amidst the rubble of the collapsed cavern.

Chara didn't appear to be all that happy with how the fight was developing.

"What _IS_ this man?!" the child screamed. "Wizard! Explain! Now!"

I sneered at the red light flickering in Sans's eye-socket.

"You called yourself a demon. All I did was getting myself an appropriate ally."

Sans's right eye narrowed.

"He's not an angel," Chara snarled.

I chuckled, enjoying the moment. "The next best thing."

"Harry, please," Michael said. "This is close to blasphemy."

"Fine," Chara grumbled. "I'm tired of this. Time to get serious." They thrashed Sans's right arm to the side, signifying the Parasites to attack again. The Caterpillar straightened up, stretching part of its ridiculously lengthy body upright, and… vomited. Gushes of clear liquid shot out of its orifice, spraying into our direction. Mouse was just out of range, and I pulled a shield up to protect Papyrus and myself – and Michael was yet again unfazed by the few drops that hit him.

The liquid was acidic, apparently. Every patch of grass, every rock it hit – they melted down instantly, emitting clouds of gas in the process. A moment too late I realized that the gas might not be the safest thing to inhale. It entered my respiratory tract and made me dizzy. I exhaled sharply, followed up by a spell.

"Forzare!"

Strong gusts of wind brushed by, taking the gas away.

A shiver went through Papyrus's hand onto my back. I eyed him quickly.

"Are you still good to go?"

The skeleton puffed his self-made chest-plate armor. "YOU NEED NOT ASK, HUMAN! I NEVER TIRE!"

That wasn't true. Even without a lung, the guy's breath had become a lot heavier ever since we had started the teamwork. I frowned. This wasn't going to play out well if we took much longer.

However, the approaching Parasite didn't leave much room for thought. I readied myself, reminding myself to hurry up.

That was when the energy connection broke off. I whirled around – Papyrus wasn't there anymore.

* * *

Frisk

Chara had the skeleton's hand aimed at Papyrus, the red eye flaring, pulling him away from Mr. Dresden, launching him towards a bolder at a rapid pace.

Sans's other eye flashed blue, his left hand stretched out, and his brother's body came to a hold, floating inches above the ground, unable to move.

 **"welp. i can't just let you take what isn't yours, kid. spoils the** _ **chara**_ **-cter,"** Sans growled.

" _Ugh_. You will not be missed, comedian," Chara hissed with a strained voice, suddenly having a hard time fighting against him.

"BROTHER!"

Both light-pupils shifted forward – and then up to the sky. During their struggle, Papyrus had floated upwards, now hovering over sixty feet above the ground, waving excitedly at the skeleton and Frisk.

"I CAN SEE THE CAMP FROM UP HERE!" he shouted happily.


	19. Chapter 19 - A Frisky Idea

**Chapter 19: A Frisky Idea**

Harry

Seeing as Papyrus was out of the game, I was going to have to fight on my own now. Probably was for the better actually, since the guy might have poured out more and more of his energy until he would've dropped dead.

Now that I had seen (and Seen) Sans's ability again, I was fairly disappointed in the Star Wars fan in me. The skeleton was a living force-user and I hadn't taken the first opportunity to comment on it. What a waste.

Two spear-like Caterpillar-bristles shot by my side and pierced the ground dangerously close to my left foot.

Right. Back to the matter at hand.

I dived beneath the next salve, jumped into the Parasite liquid – the one the smaller Parasites used as portals, not the acidic stuff from the big guy (and maggot-free this time) – and used the momentum to slide past the Caterpillar.

I'm not much of a mountain-hiker, but maybe I should consider a career in ice-skating.

"Forzare!" I yelled, circling it, whirling around the staff, bashing in the bones that were still sticking inside the Parasite's body from Papyrus's attack; it was like hitting nails with a giant hammer.

The effect was immediate – the insect screeched out in pain, wriggled violently and fell to the side like a cut-down pine tree, trembling in pure agony.

 _Finally_.

The power-high was subsiding by the second, and I dreaded the headache and exhaustion that was to come. I relished in my temporary victory, before going on to think about a way to get rid of the bristly abomination once and for all.

That turned out to be a mistake; the Parasite used its time to erect all of its bristles and shot them in a 360 degree range around itself, in a desperate defense mechanism. I wasn't quick enough to pull up my shield; one of the spear-like projectiles came through and stabbed through my right shoulder, piercing both my physical self and my soul.

The pain was searing hot and freezing cold at the same time, sending alarm signals through my whole body, paralyzing me. The bristle pulsated, as if it had a life on its own.

Hell's Bells, it probably _did_. I had to get this thing out, _now_.

When I grabbed the end of the spike, I almost howled; I gritted my teeth and ripped it out in one, swift motion.

My vision blacked out, leaving me with nothing but the jolts of pain shooting through my veins, numbing my skin. I let the bristle fall to the ground. A high-pitched tone rang in my ears, as if a mine had exploded right next to me.

 _Stars and Stones._ It really hurt.

"Harry! What happened?" I heard Michael running over, and blinked, slowly recovering my Sight. On his way, the Knight casually disintegrated two more Parasites on his way by brushing them with Amoracchius's blade – he didn't even notice it.

"Just avoided becoming a hedgehog," I groaned.

"Not very successfully, from the looks of it," Michael remarked, pointing at my affected shoulder. "You're bleeding."

"It happens," I grunted, struggling to convince my rational mind that keeping my Sight open _yet longer_ was indeed a good idea. Better than standing around completely blind. _I_ didn't have the luxury of a literal Deus-Ex-Machina granting me invincibility.

Always comes with a catch, anyway.

"Michael, please," I said, "get a bit out of range until I've dealt with the big one. I don't think your faith is going to shield you from spear-heads."

Neither was his lack of armor. Apparently, even buff Michael thought it wasn't sheer brilliance to carry around numerous heavy metal-plates while hiking.

Clenching my teeth, I Glared at the helplessly flailing, bristle-less Caterpillar.

It had hit my _good_ shoulder, numbing down my _good,_ unburnt hand. This had just gotten personal.

Time to put the beast in a cage. Attacking me or the others would become a lot harder after I would've imprisoned it inside a Magic Circle.

The ground around me was too uneven to use chalk – but I wouldn't need that. The whole area was more or less covered in Parasite-goo again. And the best/only good thing about disgusting liquids? They have a flat surface.

Time to put my idea to test.

I put my new-found disdain to use, raised up my will and pointed the staff at the goo-covered ground.

"Fuego," I hissed. Somewhat controlled flames trickled out of the staff's tip and scorched the Parasite-liquid, coloring the ground beneath it in an ashen gray – only visible to the Sight, yet again, but it was there.

The Parasite for once decided to make the job easier – although I doubt it was deliberate – by contracting and forming a semi-circle, trying to protect itself. It was already re-growing its damned bristles.

Oh no. Not again. You had your chance.

Now it was _my_ turn.

Aiming the staff's tip at the ground, I started circling the overgrown never-going-to-be-a-butterfly. The flames trickling out alongside my energy steadily painted a burnt line onto the ground. I forced myself not to walk faster as to not interrupt the markings, and started pouring more of my will into it.

* * *

Frisk

Both arms raised, launching Papyrus farther, yet farther up into the air, both Chara and Sans continued to struggle against each other – until Chara suddenly sniggered and let the right arm slump down to the side. "You hold him up by yourself now, won't you, comedian?" they said, and the red pupil independently shifted towards Mr. Dresden, Michael and Mouse. "I have something else to take care of now."

They threw their arm forward again, conjuring multiple bones out of thin air and fired them at the wizard. Michael yelled a warning, and Mouse jumped in, catching some of the attacks before they could reach Mr, Dresden – and yet, five bones flew right at the tall man.

"No!" Frisk screamed – and exhaled in relief when the wizard scowled and easily reflected the attack with another spell. He could defend himself just fine, he…

The wizard stumbled, leaning heavily on his staff for a second, before continuing.

"He's sick, his energy is leaking from the leech-bite and the stab wound – and he's generally exhausted. Without his constant energy supply, he'll go down soon," Chara chuckled – just as Sans's body itself swerved to the side, barely being able to keep standing upright.

"God dammit, comedian," they swore, "your stamina is awful."

Right. Chara and Sans both used the same energy source, which was… well, Sans. That must have been why Chara hadn't taken action themselves until now. They were banking on Mr. Dresden exhausting sooner than them.

Frisk frowned. It wasn't like Chara to gamble like that, was it? No matter how sick the wizard was, he surely had more endurance than Sans. _Anyone_ had more endurance than Sans. And why did they seem so… desperate? Even if they didn't want to leave Sans's soul right now, they could still just teleport to god knows where if things went south for them, so why…

The child's eyes widened, recalling everything Chara had told them before.

Oh. _Oh_.

Before Frisk could figure out what to do with what they had just discovered, Chara let out a frustrated yell and conjured up three more bones – the size of logs – and let one of them fly at the wizard again. This time, Michael was there, stepping in front of the bone, hands outstretched, determined to intercept it.

Chara sniggered – and the bone started gleaming blue, midflight.

 _Blue attacks_. _They only don't hurt you if you stay still_.

"Michael!" Frisk shouted, jumping up. "Don't move!"

It was too late. The knight reached forward, to grab the bone – and it went right through him, immaterial as it had become. Michael gasped, taking the full repercussion. He fell down on one knee, coughing.

Frisk stood there, dumbstruck. "But… but it shouldn't be that bad…" they muttered in disbelief. "Sans has little attack strength, he-" Their eyes widened when they understood.

Sanswas _not the one_ attacking Michael _._ It was _Chara._ And, unlike Sans, Chara definitely had _no_ problem with hurting somebody.

The demonic child-ghost huffed, as the skeleton almost dropped to his knees; the huffing turned into a determined cry, and Chara flung the other bones right after the first one. Mr. Dresden's dog leaped in and took the first strike with a high-pitched yowl, but the second one hit its aim. The bone smashed squarely into Michael's head, pushing him over and throwing him several paces to the side. His sword was knocked out of his hand and spun around a few times before disappearing behind a heap of rubble, hitting the ground with a metallic clang.

Mouse got up again. The man did not.

"Michael!" Mr. Dresden yelled.

"PAPYRUS COMES TO THE RESCUE!" Papyrus bellowed. He had been considerably let back down by Sans in the meantime, now floating only a few feet above the ground. The force keeping him up disappeared, and Papyrus instantly jumped over to Michael's side.

Sans let out a relieved breath, and his body collapsed to the ground, face down.

"OH NO! SANS!" Papyrus anxiously twitched towards his brother, but the smaller skeleton just waved aside, not even lifting his face from the ground.

" **i'm good. you do your thing, paps."**

"God-dammit-get-back-up!" Chara cursed, flailing their controlled side around like new-born baby.

 **"heh. nah, you're** _ **grounded**_ **."**

"I _hate_ you!"

Frisk almost chuckled – but Chara beat them to it.

" _Well then_. Mark my words, I didn't want to resort to these methods, but if you won't move anymore – let's see what you can do against _this_."

The skeleton's eye-sockets widened in shock; followed by the whole body recoiling in pain.

"I'll break your mind by force if I have to, comedian. Your time is up." Chara hummed.

Frisk felt like the world shattered to pieces.

And just when they had thought that the tables were turning to their favor.

* * *

Harry

Papyrus's gloved hands, resting on Michael's forehead, started glowing in a blue light, slowly coating the Knight. He was healing him. Was… was _every_ Monster able to use healing magic?

So unfair.

The lanky skeleton nodded at me encouragingly. "DO NOT WORRY, TALL HUMAN! YOUR FRIEND IS CONSCIOUS – ALBEIT BARELY!" He shifted his attention back to Michael and gently pressed the man back down as he tried to get up. "NO, WAIT! DO NOT STAND YET! LET ME HEAL YOU FIRST!"

Mouse sided with them, attentively watching their surroundings for any invisible enemy.

I breathed out in relief, turning back to the Caterpillar. Some rows of its bristles had regrown and I readied myself for another all-round attack. It still hadn't moved away from its place, and was also still pulled together in a semi-circle. I gathered my energy and let the flame at the end of the staff flicker back up, resuming to drawing the line onto the ground. Every step had started to become a major pain in the ass by now, the ground felt like it was swaying up and down, everything I Saw blurred into each other.

I felt like I was way past tipsy and was reaching into 'completely wasted' territory.

Tumbling forward, I risked another Glance back at Mouse, Papyrus and Michael. Apparently, my wooly mammoth and the skeleton could talk to each other; Papyrus had his arm stretched forward, adjusting the direction and firing a bone according to Mouse's order-like barking.

Huh. Maybe I was just Hallucinating at this point.

Out of the corner of my eye, I Noticed how the Caterpillar's wriggling had become more active. Irritated, I brought up a shield with my free hand, protecting me from the next rain of bristles.

Another movement caught my attention – Frisk had gotten up and was walking away, as if they had a certain goal in mind.

Stars and stones, you let the kid out of your sight for one second, and they do whatever they want.

* * *

Frisk

Hopefully, this would work. It had to. There was no time, and neither Mr. Dresden nor Papyrus or Michael were in any state to help. They had to do something. They _had_ to be right. It-

Frisk let out a startled shriek when something shot out of the ground beside them – only to rejoice after they realized who it was.

 _Flowey_.

"You're alive!" Frisk jubilated, tearing up. A part of them had thought that the flower might have been buried beneath the rubble forever.

The plant glossed over their enthusiasm. "Pffsh, of course I'm still alive, you… you dummy," he finished, visibly embarrassed over Frisk's joy to see him. "So, since trash-bag is being mentally tortured by Chara – are you running away?"

The child shook their head, wearing a stern expression. "I have a plan." They turned their head to a nearby bolder and proceeded to walk.

Flowey followed them, time after time sprouting out randomly from the ground. "Plan? What plan?"

Frisk surrounded the bolder, and a satisfied smile appeared on their face. "There it is."

Michael's sword was lying on the ground, the long blade brimming with power and purpose. The child bent down and grabbed the hilt, picking it up, still smiling.

Flowey leant back. "Uhm… I have bad memories about you with a weapon like that," he said, tense.

The child didn't listen to him.

"So, now what about…" They didn't finish their sentence. Instead, their face lit up and they slowly turned to Flowey, grinning down at him.

The plant eyed them with growing fear.

"W-why are you looking at me like that?" He stuttered. "Hey! Back off!"

Frisk blinked in surprise. "Wait! Don't go!" They ran after the plant, dragging the blade along. "I need you for this!"

Flowey stopped, eyes narrowed. "What for?"

The child went down on their knees in front of the plant.

"Go and tie up Sans," they whispered. "Can you do that?"

The flower stared up at them in disbelief. "Wha- no! Chara will just teleport and blast me away!"

"No, they won't," Frisk insisted. "They _can't_."

"What? How do you know?" Flowey observed them suspiciously.

"They only have control over half his body- for now," Frisk explained. "And you can't just transport half your body away." Saying it out loud helped immensely. They had to be right about this.

Flowey wasn't as convinced. "So you're _guessing_ ," he said, scowling.

"Please, _Asriel_ , trust me," Frisk pleaded; Hearing that name, the flower shuddered. Frisk needed him, they slowly realized. With Flowey's help – they could do this even without Mr. Dresden or anyone else. They could do this!

 _Or I'll fail and hate myself forever._

No. This was the right way. They knew it.

 _Guessed it_.

 **Knew it.**

Flowey struggled with himself for a moment; then he sighed. " _Fine_. Now what is the plan?"

Frisk bent down and whispered it to him.

"Are you sure?" Flowey said once they had finished. Filled with determination, the child nodded vehemently. A malicious smile spread over the flower's face. "Know what, I love it," he sniggered. "I'm in. But if – _when_ anything goes wrong, make sure to tell the wizard that it was _your_ idea, got that?"

* * *

Harry

After what had felt like an eternity of drawing a line of fire, I finally finished the Circle of Power around the Caterpillar, and closed it with gusto, using the blood that was leaking out of the puncture wound in my shoulder. The effect was immediate – the giant insect reared up, smashing itself against the invisible borders of its new cage.

"Sucks, not being able to see what you're fighting against, doesn't it?" I sneered, Watching as the Parasite threw itself against the see-through walls over and over, like an enraged shark.

Once again, my Vision became blurry, and I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to gather myself together for the tasks to come. When I reopened them, I was subject to a nasty surprise.

My body had leapt off the ground – without any of my help. I Looked back at Sans.

His right side was being pushed up, his pupil flashing red. A painful jolt went through the skeleton's body and I was forcibly thrown to the side. With neckbreak speed, I was flying towards a heap of rubble, the rocks sticking out, sharp and pointy, ready to skewer anything that was dumb enough to collide with them.

It took me two starts, but I managed to conjure up enough of my will to cast another spell. I levelled my free hand at the rocky reception committee.

"Ventas Servitas!"

A semi-powerful gust of wind broke from my palm and counteracted the force that was aiming to make me clash with the bolder. I slowed down, but still crashed into the heap of rubble with considerable momentum, scraping my skin anywhere my duster or my pants didn't cover it. My arm got squished beneath my body, and my head – my poor head – slammed into a protuberant stone, knocking out my Sight and making me see stars instead.

"Harry!"

Ah. Michael was good to go again. Glad to know that.

I forced myself back on my feet and stumbled by the group of three. Chara had made me fly into a heap of stones quite close to them. Mouse and Papyrus were full on busy deflecting more of the remaining Parasites. Michael sat up and inspected me, his eyes filled with worry. We shared a short nod. He knew I couldn't go easy on myself right now, and I knew what he wanted to say.

That was when my body flew upwards _again_. Rage swelled up in my stomach.

 _Seriously now_?! Sans, at least _try_ to fight them!

I prepared myself for another round of wizard darts – only to immediately slump back onto the ground. Raising my head, I looked towards where Sans's body was. Several thin vines were wrapping themselves around the skeleton, tying him – and by extension, Chara – down.

What was going _on_ over there?

Flowey's head popped up next to Sans. The flower lifted a leaf and waved at me.

"Wizard! Take care of whatever invisible thing you're fighting! We've got this!"

He had turned out way more useful than I had ever thought he would. Suspiciously so.

Suspicious or not, he was right. I turned around and hurried towards the Caterpillar, re-opening my Sight - hopefully for the last time this year.

I should give the thing a name before getting rid of it.

"Let's finish up this date, Catie," I muttered. I was too exhausted to be creative. I flared up the power of the Magic Circle, and Watched as I slowly incinerated the Parasite once and for all.

* * *

Frisk

"Let go!" Bound to the rocky surface, Chara sluggishly squirmed with Sans's whole right side. "Why in the world" they huffed, "do you have to be so _weak_ , comedian?!"

Flowey wrapped the vines tighter – maybe tighter than they needed to be – and sniggered.

"Turns out your hunch was right, Frisk," he said joyfully. "I don't think the trash-bag can run away."

" **what exactly are you two planning?"** Sans chimed in, casual as always – although he could barely hide the pain and the anxious tone in his voice. It seemed like their actions had already at least one effect – it looked like Chara had stopped their mental attacks on Sans for now.

Frisk closed up to the bound skeleton, dragging Amoracchius behind them. Two feet away from Sans, they stopped for a moment, panting. The sword was heavier than they had thought.

" **kiddo?"** Sans repeated, after he received no answer, chuckling nervously. **"what's the sword for?"**

The child looked down at him, their expression unreadable.

"Prepare yourself, Sans," they said calmly. "It'll be over quickly."

Sans's right eye flashed red. "Teleport, you moron!" Chara yelled, their tone panicky. "There, I'll let you! This is Frisk's chance to get rid of you! You're the only one who knows what they did!"

Frisk chuckled sadly, inching closer. "Actually, I told Papyrus an hour ago."

" **you did** _ **what**_ **?"** Sans's voice was nothing short of a growl.

The child gripped the sword hilt tighter as they brought it up to their chest. "When everything is over – I'll confess to everybody." Their hands were trembling. "I'll accept any consequence. I'll atone. But first, this has to be done." Shaking, they raised the sword, pointing it at the skeleton's ribcage.

"Teleport!" Chara hissed. "Come on, you idiot!"

" **w-wait kiddo,"** Sans stammered, **"this is-"**

Flowey snickered and tightened his grip yet again. "Prepare to become dust, trash-bag."

Frisk halted to glower at the plant, then looked at Sans, tears in their eyes. "The sword isn't for killing. It's for saving," they whispered.

Chara laughed nervously. "Ha! That's not how weapons work!"

Frisk stared blankly at Chara's pupil. "It's only going to hurt _you_ , isn't it, Chara? And you know that. That's why you're so scared." The child smiled maniacally – obviously obsessed with their idea, trying to justify their plan. It was so off that it made even Flowey shiver; there certainly was some part of Chara's influence left in them.

"The only way to save yourself is if you leave Sans's body _now_. Otherwise, you'll… well. We'll see," Frisk muttered, looking back at the blue pupil. "Please, Sans – I'm not asking you to ever forgive me. I…" Their voice faltered, and fell into a quiet sob. "I'm not even asking you to not hate me, you have every reason to do so. But please – trust me."

" **pretty big favor you're asking of me here,"** the skeleton responded, staring up at the blade pointed at him. **"how… how sure are you that this will work out, anyway?"**

Frisk chose not to answer. "Flowey. The soul."

" **wait,"** Sans said hastily, **"i don't-"**

Without any consideration, the plant forcefully pulled out the skeleton's soul, holding it up in front of Frisk.

Even if Sans wanted to teleport now, even if Chara let him – he couldn't anymore.

"I'm sorry, Sans," the child whispered, and closed their eyes; Taking a deep breath, they stabbed the glowing white soul with the Knight's sword. The blade hummed with power and started gleaming in the same white light.

And out of the light – jumped the silhouette of a young child, no older than Frisk. Brown hair, reddish eyes, wearing clothes that much resembled Frisk's. See-through ghost-Chara held their arm, covering a big slash wound on it, while at the same time not putting any weight on their left leg. Frisk pulled the blade back, staring at the one who had been possessing… _accompanying_ them for three years, and felt… uncertain. Kind of happy, almost.

Chara wouldn't be able to go back, now that they had found a way to immediately kick them out of any soul they entered. All they would be able to do was run away. And seeing as their leg had been damaged… well.

They weren't even floating like a proper ghost. Chara wouldn't be able to flee.

"I'll be damned," Flowey muttered, not hiding the disappointment in his voice. "It actually worked. Pity." He gave Sans, who was too stunned to move, his soul back and dove into the ground, to safety.

The Knight's sword fell to the ground. Panting and drenched in sweat, Frisk covered their mouth with their hands and started laughing uncontrollably.

"It worked," they whispered, tearing up. "It worked!"

Their knees gave way and the child staggered backwards, bumping into someone. Before they could sink to the ground, that someone caught them, holding them up.

* * *

Harry

Keeping the child upright with one arm and clinging to Michael's shoulder with my other hand, I sighed.

"Don't gamble with people's lives like that, kid. Not healthy. Nevertheless, good job." I turned to glower at Chara, who just stood there, visible to everybody. Catie was gone, Mouse and Papyrus had gotten rid of every other Parasite that had still been somehow crawling around in the area. There was nothing else they could do anymore.

The ghost-slash-demon child glowered back at me – but they were undeniably tense. They knew they had lost. And they were hurt.

Good.

I let go off Michael's shoulder and raised my staff.

"Papyrus? Could you give me a hand for a second?"

As willing to help as ever, the lanky skeleton grabbed the arm that was supporting Frisk, and a steady stream of power flooded in. I nodded gratefully. "Thanks. I just need you so I can make sure that this blasted brat is gone once and for all."

Frisk froze. Papyrus flinched. "ER, TALL HUMAN, WAIT! I-"

I frowned. "What?"

If he didn't have any more energy to spare, then this was going to be tricky – it wouldn't have surprised me, though. He had far surpassed anything I had expected when it came to his strength and… yes, also fighting skills; and still, he had spent massive amounts of magical energy in the last thirty minutes. There was no way he was completely fine after that.

Hell's bells, it was _really_ easy to just fall back on Monster magic. A foul taste spread in my mouth after I realized that.

But before I could ask Papyrus whether he was okay, Frisk broke loose from me. The child whirled around, stepping between Chara and my staff, stretching their arms to either side. The ghost/demon child looked just as surprised as I was.

"Please," Frisk said, smiling nervously. "Don't."

I blinked at them, irritated. "Frisk. If this is your naïve pacifistic bullshit again, _I swear_ -"

"Mr. Dresden, _please_ ," the child interrupted me. "We don't have to kill Chara. They can't do anything anymore."

It was almost laughable, but alas, my head hurt and I was way too angry and exhausted to bring out a chuckle. "Can't do anything?! Are you kidding me?! There's _still_ some of those fucking Parasites somewhere on this Mountain, I guarantee it!" I gripped the staff; some of the carved-in runes started glowing. "Get out of the way, kid."

The child's legs began to shake, but they refused. "No."

Michael, who had been silently standing next to me until now, walked towards Frisk. The child gulped and pulled back, always staying between me and Chara. However, Michael didn't just pick them up and heave them out of the way as I'd hoped. No. He patted their shoulder, turned towards me and crossed his arms.

"Harry, I can't condone this, either."

I felt my jaw drop. "Wha-"

"Thou shalt not kill," Michael quoted.

"IT'S A GHOST, Michael!" I shouted. "We've gotten rid of plenty of those before! It's not even really alive anymore! No, it's even worse!" I shook my head in frustration, receiving immediate brain-throbbing punishment. "It's like light-version of a Fallen! And _you're_ going to defend a _demon_ now, seriously?!"

"They're neither a ghost nor a demon," Michael replied, infuriatingly calm. "Not as far as I can see." He glanced back at Chara, who avoided his eyes. "As bad as their sins are, they committed them out of ultimately good intentions, from what I could gather. That's not a demon. That's the most human thing there is. And as a human, no matter how lost they have become, they deserve a second chance." He looked at me firmly. He had made his decision. He would never move from it now.

I stared at the two of them, flabbergasted. "They're not going to repent. I… I can't believe this!"

"I can," Chara remarked nonchalantly from the back. "It's a very Frisk-thing to do."

"YOU stay out of this!" I snarled. The ghost-demon child _freaking shrugged_ at me.

" **ahem."** Sans had finally decided to stand up – only to join Frisk and Michael as well.

"I AM SO PROUD OF YOU, BROTHER!" Papyrus said – although he was still providing me with energy. I ignored him.

"Sans. Of all people. _Why?_ "

The short skeleton raised his hands defensively. **"hey, i'm completely with ya on getting rid of them. it's just… don't use my bro's magic to kill off a defenseless-** _ **looking**_ **kid. just doesn't sit right with me."**

So _that_ was the problem?

… of course. Of course _that_ was the problem.

"YES, TALL HUMAN! PLEASE SHOW MERCY," Papyrus agreed joyfully.

It made me furious. "And what do you suggest then?" I shook off Papyrus, who – what else – also joined the pacifist group shielding Chara from me.

Flowey sprouted out of the ground, but didn't comment on the situation, only went on watch silently from the sidelines.

"Should we just let them run?" I growled, voice growing louder with every word. "Let them try again? Let them kill a couple more humans until you're convinced?!"

"BUT MAYBE THEY CAN BE GOOD!" Papyrus said optimistically. "PERHAPS THEY CAN… _NOT_ KILL HUMANS! I VOLUNTEER TO KEEP WATCH!"

" **i volunteer to let undyne do that,"** Sans said.

"Reality doesn't WORK like that, Papyrus!" I didn't try to keep my anger down now. It was the only thing that kept me standing, to be honest. And that fact made me even angrier.

"If it didn't, prisons would be useless," Frisk muttered defiantly. I stared at them, absolutely livid.

Don't you sass me, kid. Not. Now.

That was when the plant cleared his throat. He flinched when I glared at him.

What now? Was this guy going to lecture me as well?

"Can't you trap Chara in a Magic Circle for now?" Flowey shrank before my eyes, not daring to look up. "You can always kill them later… right? When you've got your energy back."

So those journals he had read also held information about Magic Circles. Great. Just… great.

I groaned, rubbing my sore forehead. "The only intelligent comment the last few minutes, and it comes from a flower. God damnit."

Michael grimaced. "Harry, you-"

"Bite me, Michael," I snapped, "I'm tired and _really_ pissed off right now, worst time to lecture me about language. _Okay_." I pulled a loose chalk out of my duster's pocket, drew a quick circle around myself, stepped out, and pointed at Chara. "You. Step in there. Now."

The ghost-demon child protested. "Why would I-"

"Do it now, or I swear, I'll kill you even if it kills me with you," I hissed, scowling at them.

Chara awkwardly approached me and stepped over the line. I closed the circle with as slight an effort of will as possible, and clenched my teeth, struggling to keep standing.

The second the Circle of Power welled up and cut Chara off from everything magic-related outside it, the ghost-demon-child recoiled, eyes wide.

"Oh. Oh no. _Not good._ " They clenched their hands to small fists and started banging on the inside of their prison. "Let me out!" They yelled, almost… _panicking_. "Quickly!"

I laughed dryly, leaning heavily on my staff. "Sure, I see no reason why not. _Oh wait._ "

"Shut up, Wizard!" Chara put their palms against the invisible walls of their cage, searching for a gap, a weakness. It was mildly amusing, like watching a mime. "I… I wouldn't have walked in here, had I known… You have _no_ idea what will happen now!"

Michael, unlike me, decided to take them seriously and frowned. "What?"

"I can't… I can't reach the Parasites anymore," the transparent child explained, frantically palpating their surroundings.

I snorted, unimpressed. "That's a _good_ thing, if you ask me."

"Well, then think again," Chara dismissed me. "I was the only one keeping control over them. What do you think will happen now? They crave for souls, no matter where they can get them from!"

Hell's bells, when was this going to be over? I closed my eyes and breathed in and out sharply.

"How many of them are _still_ here?"

Chara had given up on searching for an exit and went on to speak very quickly. "You've killed all of them that were here, that's not the issue, I- _look_ ," they tried to gather their thoughts. "I told Dad and all of you that there was no reason to fear the police and the other humans, right? Well, guess what made me so sure of that."

Michael paled. "Oh Lord, no."

" **they've been around the mountain the last few days,"** Sans mumbled. **"i've seen them yesterday."**

"And you infected them," Frisk said to Chara, their expression turning fearful. "Can… can the Parasites make them use guns?"

Chara crossed their arms. "They're fast learners," they said ominously. ""Let me out, I don't want the Monsters to die. Everything I've done until now would've been pointless otherwise."

They did sound as if they genuinely cared, ironically enough.

However...

"… no," I said.

"What?!" The imprisoned child stared at me in disbelief. "Don't be so stubborn! I-"

"You could – and would – use that opportunity to hold people back there hostage," I elaborated. "I'm not taking the risk. Sans," I went on, "you got enough juice to take Michael, Mouse, your brother and me back to the camp?"

The skeleton eyed the group doubtfully. **"uh… sure. will do. grab on."** He spread his arms, although he didn't look like he was a big fan of my plan.

Before I reached for Sans's shoulder, I turned to the ones I hadn't listed.

"Frisk. You watch Chara. Don't cross the circle line, or it'll break. Flowey."

The plant winced. "Y-yeah?"

My only real ally on getting rid of Chara. This was just plain wrong.

"You watch Frisk. Make sure they don't free them out of pity," I said. The flower relaxed – and saluted to me.

"Roger that!"


	20. Chapter 20 - Get Ready

Author's note: Hey, so... this took a lot longer than I thought it would. Sorry for that.  
Apparently I'm really bad at estimating the story length I still have to cover, so there's that.  
Which is why it's not 2 more chapters, like I initially thought, but 4 - plus Epilogue.  
The good news is - I'm finally done!  
So have fun, and sorry again for the long delay.

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Get Ready**

Frisk

When Mr. Dresden and the others had disappeared, it had opened an opportunity for a very awkward silence to slide in. Frisk was sitting few steps away from Chara, their back turned on them, on a patch of flattened grass, plucking out single blades from time to time – trying to gather their thoughts and prepare for any future events. Waiting was horrible. It made them feel like something terrible could happen at any moment if they didn't have their guard up. Of course, with Flowey and Chara as the only company, that feeling wasn't entirely unjustified.

The child glanced at the silent flower next to them. Now that Chara was relatively dealt with, there was no way to predict what the plant was planning.

Sure, Flowey was Asriel, and as short as their mutual time had been, the former prince of the Underground had been… almost like a good friend. And sure, even Flowey himself – not Asriel – had reacted really positively to the forgiveness shown to him. However, there was no denying that Frisk's… second-to-last run through the Underground had disrupted their relationship a lot. And now, the child wasn't sure how Flowey thought of them. Frisk didn't quite want to admit it to themselves, but it was completely possible that the only thing holding Flowey back from taking their soul was his fear of the wizard. The plant's unusual silence didn't make it any better. But how could they blame him? There was nothing to talk about – and, thinking about it, it was probably better that way. Frisk feared what Chara would say if given the opportunity to try and manipulate them again somehow.

Just as they got to that thought, Chara decided to break the quiet with a frustrated outburst.

"This is just stupid. I'm going to die anyways."

Frisk frowned, not looking back at them. Part of them had hoped that Chara would at least somewhat appreciate their efforts to keep them alive, and… try to make the best out of it.

Apparently, the ghost-demon-child was convinced that their execution had only been postponed. It was a little aggravating, to be honest. Mr. Dresden had been a lot more tolerant and understanding than Frisk would have ever expected him to be – but it was still intimidating to just stand in his way like that. The tall man emanated the impression of someone you really didn't want to cross. Frisk bit their lip.

To be fair, the wizard's stance on letting Chara survive _had_ been quite clear.

"You don't know that," they said, trying to encourage themselves. They glanced back at the demon-ghost-child, as if to stress their point.

Chara snorted. "Make no mistake. The wizard _will_ kill me as soon as he can." Inside their circular prison, they stretched their translucent arms to the sky. "And rightfully so, from his point of view. I'd do the same if the positions were reversed. I am nothing but a threat to him. There's no merit in letting me live."

Cold and calculating as always. Frisk couldn't help but feel annoyed by the casual, dismissive tone.

"Well, maybe Mr. Dresden surprises you," they snapped. "Maybe he doesn't solve each and every problem with violence."

Instead of giving a snappy remark, Chara just laughed. "Oh, Frisk. You are adorable."

Frisk pulled their legs closer to themselves. "Hadn't you killed those two children, none of this would have happened." They shuddered as they remembered how those poor kids had looked like – another memory that would be ingrained in their memory for the rest of their life, to be sure.

Chara waved it off. "It would be about the same situation, I think."

Telling yourself that in order to feel better? Anger flashed through the child, making them shout at the stubborn demon-ghost-thing that had ruined so much already.

"No, it wouldn't!" Frisk took a deep breath to calm down, and turned away again. Maybe provoking them was just another of Chara's plans. They shouldn't play along with it. "You shouldn't have abducted those children in the first place." An exhausted sigh escaped their lungs. "Ten children, Chara. _Why_?"

Really though. Why children? And why hadn't they just infected the whole school bus the kids had come with while they had been at it? Would there have been too many victims to oversee at the same time?

"I didn't abduct them," Chara said simply.

Frisk glanced back at them, confused. "What? Don't lie, you-"

"I didn't," Chara insisted. "I just made use of them once they were here. They stumbled onto the Mountain all by themselves, because of the parts of the broken Barrier floating around everywhere. I can monitor these parts – but I can't control them. Conveniently, they only affect humans – not sure why _you_ weren't affected. Maybe it has something to do with you coming from _behind_ the Barrier." They shrugged. "Not that it matters now."

* * *

Harry

I had been naïve to think even for a minute that we would be quick enough to stop a total escalation. First thing I had to do upon our arrival was to grab Papyrus by his shoulder and throw both of us to the ground, pulling Sans and Michael along. Mouse had let go of Sans's jacket and flattened himself as much as he could. Several bullets sped over our heads, tearing through the air where we had been seconds before.

 **"welp. coming here sure was a** _ **grave**_ **miscalculation."**

Sans, not now.

I dared to peek up and scan the surroundings. Sans had taken us right to the center of the camp; and this spot was apparently the very point where the inevitable conflict had started. The Monster's tents closest to us were almost all trampled down, their belongings scattered over the mossy ground. Hell's Bells, it couldn't have started longer than two minutes ago, and it had already gotten this messy.

I couldn't see Murphy, Molly, or any of the Monsters. How many of them even had still been here when Chara's connection to their pets broke?

Another round of shots went by, but whoever was attacking obviously had not much experience in handling a gun; the projectiles missed us by a long shot, pun not intended. I detected a police-uniform somewhere behind still pitched-up tents, before its wearer ducked behind the piles of cloth.

I clutched my staff and fought back against the headache and nausea – I wished I could have said that I was getting used to it.

I was not. I was absolutely not.

Now, what to do? It was undoubtedly a good idea to try and find a better place for cover; the way we were right now, completely out in the open, it was only a question of time when we would get hit.

"NGAH! Piss off, crazy humans!"

 _Undyne._

The fish-woman came from the left, sprinting, an enthusiastic grin on her face – and barely dodging the bullets raining at her while she was doing her suicidal stunt. She didn't wear her leather jacket anymore – probably got rid of it to move more freely – instead revealing a black tank top that emphasized her almost intimidating abdominal muscles. Her piranha-teeth bared, she had a wild stare in her uncovered eye – a part of her definitely drew some enjoyment from this.

"UNDYNE!" Papyrus waved at her from the ground, wiggling his arm back and forth enthusiastically. "THE REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED!"

"Some great reinforcement you are! Stop COWERING!" she shouted back, cackling. She ran past us. "Follow me! I've got a strategic cover spot!"

In a pausing interval in between the bullet hail, we got up and hurriedly followed her through the labyrinth of tents, over campfires, taking sharp turns every other second, losing the possessed gunners. On two occasions, we halted and hid from two aimlessly wandering people – their eyes empty, their gait clumsy. I didn't need to use the Sight to know that they were infected – just that their Parasites seemed to be not quite as evolved as the ones that knew how to use a gun. _Yet_.

Undyne's strategic hiding spot turned out to be Grillby's – not yet affected – bar tent. The only thing missing was the front half of the cover, which had been torn away – by Undyne herself, I assumed, to better see any advancing enemies.

We took cover between the bar and the liquor shelves. With the whole of our group, we barely fit in.

"Good to have ya back," Undyne said, peering over the counter, watching out for any humans that would accidentally stumble upon us. "Can't really tell you what's going on, but I'll give you a short rundown of what I've seen."

She got down, turned around and looked at each of us while continuing her speech.

"When the humans discovered the camp, Murphy went up to them by herself and chose three of them to meet with the Queen – only telling them to follow her. Blonde kickass didn't want to confront the whole group with a Monster at the same time, I guess. Toriel had asked me to stay hidden, observe and jump in should anything go wrong. At the beginning… everything was going fine. But then out of nowhere, one of these three nut-jobs pulls one of these fat plastic-boomerangs out of his pocket and attacks. Two of them panicked and fled. Rest of the human group stops waiting, goes further into the camp and acts really weird and hostile. Didn't even take two minutes and everything went down the shitter!" Undyne punched against the counter – and, by that, punched a hole _into_ the counter.

Poor Grillby.

"I promised the Queen not to hurt the humans – something about them being confused or not themselves or whatever – but it's getting REAL hard real fast." She grinned back at me. "You can solve this mess, right? I mean-"

"Shhh! Be quiet," Michael whispered, pulling Undyne down. I peered around the counter.

Two civilians staggered by, an Asian man and a red-haired woman – their empty gazes scanning the camp around them. The man sluggishly grabbed the front pole of the tent next to him and ripped it out of the ground, lifting the whole entrance and looking inside. When he didn't find anything, he dropped the pole and was just about to shamble onwards – but something, blocked from my vision by the counter, caught his and the woman's attention. Both shifted away from us.

What in the world…

"Stop it!"

It was a child's voice… Mandy's voice.

I almost groaned in frustration. _Why was she here_?!

The girl ran into my line of sight, arms spread to the side, trembling, eyes wide. She was scared out of her mind, but determined.

Unfortunately for her, determination alone doesn't get things done.

"Mr. Jung! Mrs. Kelly! Why are you destroying the camp, you…" The little girl backed away. "Why… why are you looking at me like that? Don't you… don't you recognize me? It's… it's me, Mandy, I'm Corbyn's and Sam's friend, I… I…"

The adults regarded her with blank stares before the red-haired woman started pacing towards her.

I gripped my staff and got up. For what it was worth, I didn't think I could withstand a confrontation with two Parasites now, not without hurting their hosts at least – but somebody had to save the girl.

Undyne beat me to it.

"I got this!" She leaped over the counter, passed the two possessed humans and placed herself in front of the child, brandishing the shining blue spear of light that she could conjure up so casually. Using her free hand, she grabbed the unsuspecting Mandy at the collar of her shirt.

"Papyrus! CATCH!" She yelled. And with that, she lifted Mandy up and threw her towards our cover spot without further warning.

I got the nagging feeling that she wasn't really they type for keeping her hiding spots secret.

Mandy flailed around, yelling in a high-pitched voice – until she was safely caught by Papyrus, who had jumped up just in time to block the girl's flight.

Undyne aimed the tip of her weapon at the Parasite-hosts, grinning maniacally.

"Know what? I still don't really get what's going on! But take another step forward, I'll make SURE you'll REGRET IT!"

She couldn't see the actual threat. And, judging by her behavior until now, there was the very real risk of the fish-woman snapping and just impaling the humans along with the horrid insects, if left alone. I exhaled and closed my eyes. Give it another go. I only had to open my Sight a few more times, get rid of the Parasites in the camp and that would be it.

It felt like my head was split in two by a giant axe. I cursed silently and gritted my teeth, keeping the Sight open once again. I stepped in front of the counter and signaled Michael to stay behind it for now.

The Asian man had two smaller, thick insects with him, of the gooey, leech-like semi-corporeal variety. One of them was stuck to his back, the other one to his chest – which made it look as if someone had pulled a thickly folded scarf through the man's torso. The woman had something resembling a two feet long mite pressing itself against her left thigh like an oversized purse.

I had gotten relatively used to the Parasites and their effects on their hosts' souls by now. What I hadn't Seen yet was Undyne's true self.

It was two feet taller than her, wore a dark armor with a heart engraved on the chestplate. Unlike the original, the projection didn't have an eyepatch – and instead showed two empty black eye-sockets, one of which emitted a flashing blue light. The armored silhouette gave off the feeling that nothing would get past her.

So that was what the hero of the Monsters Looked like.

The Parasites weren't impressed. One of the two leeching off of the man turned its head – and started pumping liquid into its upper parts, ready to spit the load at the fish woman in front of it.

 _When this is done, I'll need a shower._

"Undyne! Get behind the counter!" I shouted. She glared at me, ready to protest – but one look at my face sufficed to convince her otherwise. Grumbling, she dove to the side, landed on her hands and launched herself over the counter, crashing right into Michael and Mouse, shattering two bottles of undefinable Monster alcohol on the way. The leech bent to the side mid-spitting, but only managed to hit the forefront of the counter. The spit was the egg-filled type. So, no acid here. I wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

The red-haired woman wobbled towards me. Her Parasite stretched out its… antennae? Tentacles? I don't know much about mites. Mouse never got them and until now, I hadn't ever thought it would be necessary.

Whatever it was, this Parasite didn't seem to be able to projectile-vomit like many of the others could, and needed its host to get really close to another soul to do anything to it.

 _Good._

I backed away from both of the possessed humans, who had now picked me as their new aim.

There certainly was a major difference intelligence-wise between the various types. These ones apparently knew only how to concentrate on something right in front of them and didn't care much for any potential danger.

Then again, in my current state, I couldn't offer much 'danger' to dish out.

Luckily, I had more than enough personified detergent with me.

"Michael," I said. The knight immediately got up and ran over to me.

"The man first," I continued, closing my eyes shortly, as my Vision went from focused to unfocused every other second. "Has one on his back, one on his solar plexus. Watch out. They spit."

Even though the spit couldn't harm him anyways, going by the last fight.

Michael nodded briskly and dove past the woman, unsheathing Amoracchius.

"So freakin' AWESOME!" Undyne yelled from behind the counter. "Woohoo!"

The knight didn't let himself be distracted and made two swift cuts, one in front, one behind the possessed Asian – dissolving the two leeches immediately. I grunted, satisfied.

The Asian man collapsed, his expression peaceful. His female companion didn't even bat an eye – however, the Parasite seemed to have noticed the holy sword's impact and held still for a moment – only to then continue walking towards me, accelerating. I backed further away, pointing at the mite.

"Left thigh."

Michael took care of it and the woman dropped to the ground as well. Relieved, I closed my Sight – had to take breaks whenever possible. In a circular motion, Michael let the sword slide back into its sheath, earning howling applause from Undyne.

I smirked. Show-off.

Undyne hauled herself over the counter to grab the unconscious man by his legs and drag him with her. She waved at us to hurry back into cover. Michael nodded understandingly and picked up the red-haired woman, carrying her with him.

Once Undyne had let go of the man, she whirled around while squatting, slapping Mandy across the face before anyone could stop her.

"You idiot! You shouldn't BE here!" She growled.

The girl looked up at her in shock – and pain. "I- I'm sorry. I snuck away and came back, I… I just wanted to help-" Tears welled up in her eyes and she started to cry.

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I noticed Sans frowning. As I took another look it wasn't there anymore. I ascribed it to exhaustion and paranoid imagination on my side.

"Did you get hurt?" Michael asked Mandy carefully, scowling at Undyne.

The girl shook her head and sniffled. As much as I wanted to comfort her too, Undyne was right. Her being here would only cause more problems. I groaned at my headache and turned to the fish lady.

"How could this happen? Did the evacuation not go well?"

She grimaced. "Aside from this little runaway here, it did. Or… should have. We had to leave the kid here – you know, the one that was used to try to talk Asgore into an alliance. But other than him, the Queen, your magical student, the kick-ass blonde and the guy who shot at me were supposed to be the _only ones_ to stay here," she emphasized, sending another glare at Mandy.

Michael paled. "Molly stayed?" Anxious, he looked over the counter, scanning the surrounding tents for his daughter.

"She's with the blonde," Undyne said, trying to calm him. "Was fine, last I saw her."

Good. Murphy could handle herself, and Molly was able to See the Parasites. Toriel, Davis and the boy whom Chara had used as their mouthpiece, though…

I started kneading my forehead. "What about the other three?"

Undyne's expression turned grim.

 _Great_.

"Toriel took a massive hit from one of the crazy humans in uniform when she protected the kid. The ranger pulled her and the boy off to the side somewhere, I don't know more than that."

 _Toriel_. I grimaced and watched as Sans's pupils died out.

Mandy was frozen in place and whispered into her hands.

"Oh no…"

"Well, at least she's not dead yet," Undyne added as an encouragement, gesticulating wildly. "I mean, she would've turned to dust otherwise. Sure, she could have fallen down, so maybe she'll just die later… I'm not helping, am I?" She stopped, arms raised.

Papyrus gasped, pointing at her upper right abdomen.

"UNDYNE! YOU ARE HURT AS WELL! … AGAIN!"

Startled, Undyne let her arm down and tried to cover her injury with a strained smile. "It's nothing, Paps, I've had worse." She pointed at my shoulder, where the Caterpillar had stabbed me only a short while ago. "THERE, he's wounded too! He's not making a fuss either! I'll be damned if I let a human see me whining!"

Before I could comment on that, a deep growl drew everyone's attention towards the open end of the counter. Barely ten feet away from it there stood a dog, snarling at us.

A police dog. Hostile, probably because its master was… also hostile. Or maybe it was just confused and scared. None of that decreased its teeth size, though.

Mouse stepped up between the dog and us and growled back, even deeper. His fur was static, his tail stiff, ears pinned down. He was clearly the bigger and burlier one of the two, but I still didn't want to see the other dog's massive fangs anywhere near Mouse's neck.

The police dog's tail quavered a little and it was just about to back down – when a second dog joined in, just as aggressive as the first one. The two of them approached us together, snarling, getting ready to jump at us.

Mouse barked loudly and leaped onto the one closer to us, initiating the fight.

"Mouse!" I shouted, wanting to get up – but my knees didn't respond. I inhaled sharply and tried to get the situation under control.

First off – Mandy had to get away from here, safely and quickly. And the best guy for that job was…

I turned back to the others. "Sans, take the-"

The skeleton was gone. I didn't know for how long already. I hadn't even noticed him vanishing in the first place.

Undyne cursed in a loud and strained voice. "He's pulling this stunt NOW?" She clenched her fist and narrowed her eye down to a tiny gap. "That little-"

Just as promptly, Sans popped back up across her, bringing three people with him. His right hand was holding onto the sleeves of an unconscious Toriel and a just as comatose human child, the left was clutching a very startled Davis's wrist. The ranger was pointing at the skeleton with a shaky hand, and had been teleported mid-sentence.

"-e guy who attacked us! Woah!" He tore himself away from the skeleton and jumped back, crashing against the liquor shelf. A half-full bottle fell over and dropped into his lap. Davis looked around, disoriented. "Where, what-"

"WELCOME BACK, BROTHER!" Papyrus bellowed – apparently the only one who had even noticed that Sans had been gone. The lanky skeleton took Undyne by her arm and pulled her down, readying both hands and putting them over Toriel and the fish-woman.

"EY!" Undyne struggled against the skeleton. "Paps, what-"

"SHHH!" He whisper-yelled. "I WILL NOW HEAL THE BOTH OF YOU! SUPERB HEALING PROCESS, COMMENCE!"

Meanwhile, Sans released Toriel's sleeve, held on to the boy's clothing and grabbed Mandy's shoulder. The girl flinched at the sudden contact but did nothing to fight it off. The short skeleton nodded at me and grinned apologetically. We both knew he couldn't fight right now. If he stayed any longer, he would be nothing but a hindrance.

" **rootin for ya,"** he slurred, exhausted – and he disappeared, along with the two children.

* * *

Frisk

At some point, Chara had started pacing in circles within their confinement area. As time went by, they seemed to become more and more anxious, impatient.

The ghost-child stopped, slumped back down on the ground and crossed their arms.

"This is so _boring_. Can't the wizard hurry up a little?"

Frisk frowned at their statement, studying them. "Aren't you scared to die?"

The transparent child snorted sardonically. "I'm _already_ dead by most definitions, Frisk. Why should I be scared?"

And there it was. Frisk shook their head. Three years of sharing the same body, and Chara still thought they could trick them so easily.

"… you _are_ scared," Frisk insisted.

Chara turned their head. "Think what you will," they mumbled.

See? They had been right.

"I'm sure those children you killed were scared, too," Frist said reproachfully.

The demon-ghost child chuckled. "If this is an attempt at making me feel guilty of my actions and convert – leave it be, Frisk. It's not going to work. Sure, most of my pets are gone, so if I were free I'd have to bolt and find a new way, but… I won't change my mind about all of this, I _know_ that gaining the high ground is the safest option, no matter the costs. If it means losing a few more humans, then I don't care." They looked up at the sky, thoughtful. "And the wizard knows that. In my current situation, I'll… hm." They wrapped their arms around their knees. "… I guess I _am_ a little anxious. Mainly because I don't know what's to come after… _this_. Although I'm pretty sure that there's probably nothing."

Their words sounded so helpless that Frisk almost wanted to get up and comfort them somehow – but they knew better. Misplaced empathy would only result in new problems.

"I won't let you die," Frisk said instead; a simple, but stern message.

Chara sighed. "You know… it's always _this_ with you. There's a limit to how forgiving you should be. If you don't watch out, people will exploit you without difficulty."

Frisk shook their head slowly. "I'm not forgiving you." Certainly not. Chara didn't even think they were in the wrong. There were no grounds on which they could consider forgiveness. "I just want to make sure that you will get the chance to redeem yourself." They looked at the single, flattened blades of grass between their shoes. "It would be unfair if I was the only one to get that chance."

The response started with cynical snickering. "I wouldn't really compare the two of us. Besides, who's to say that the wizard Council won't execute you, after all? You're not off the hook, either."

True. They had almost forgotten about that. Frisk shuddered at the thought of having to face that anonymous, menacing group. They knew nothing about them, and yet… it felt like this "Council" was already looming over them, ready to pass their sentence on every sin they had committed.

Only when Flowey chimed in, they were able to tear away from their increasingly disturbing train of thought.

"Stop talking. Both of you."

The flower seemed frustrated about something. He had been a good ally before – or at least a lot more willing to help than Frisk would have ever thought he would be. It was almost out of character… for Flowey, at least.

"Awww," Chara remarked, in a fake-adoring tone. "Are you feeling left out?"

The plant hissed, annoyed. "You-"

Before the flower could blurt out whichever insult he had chosen, Sans appeared out of thin air, few paces in front of them. The skeleton was hunched over – completely out of energy. He stumbled two steps ahead, halted and collapsed, face first.

"Sans!" Frantically, Frisk jumped up, ran over and knelt down beside him. "Sans, are you-"

"Leave him be," Flowey scoffed. The flower glanced at the sentient heap of bones and rolled his eyes. "He's probably just asleep."

Guilt – a feeling that they knew all too well by now – closed a tight grip around Frisk's chest. The child hesitantly grabbed the skeleton by the side opposite to them, leant back and struggled to turn him on his back. Sans wasn't all that heavy, but trying to handle him as gently as they could was complicated. After Frisk had finally succeeded in putting him in a more relaxed position, they looked around, searching for a more comfortable place. When they had decided on one, they turned back, took a hold of his scapulae, and – stopped dead in their tracks.

The skeleton had opened one eye and was staring at them silently. Discomfort clashed with the guilt from before, and Frisk let go of him again, avoiding the white-glowing pupil.

It _still_ wasn't over. Nothing had changed since they had left the Underground.

Sans still hated them… right?

What felt like an eternity of awkward silence followed. Frisk fidgeted, staring at their fingers. What to say? Sorry I stabbed you… again? How are you feeling? What's the situation down at the camp?

That last question was actually not that bad. Maybe-

 **"kid?"**

Startled, Frisk involuntarily met Sans's gaze. "Y-yes?"

The skeleton scanned them briskly. **"… those are** _ **my**_ **jackets."**

The child looked down at themselves. True. They were still wearing Sans's clothes. No wonder they had started to feel a little too warm. "Yes. Sorry, I-"

" **don't** _ **sweater**_ **it,"** Sans said, the slightest notion of amusement in the pun. Frisk couldn't help but chuckle. The skeleton sat up, staring past the child,in the direction of the camp. His skull morphed into a worried expression.

"What's the situation down there?" Chara joined in. Their interest was genuine.

Sans narrowed his eyes, but didn't answer them. The ghost-demon-child smirked.

"The master of monologues is ignoring me. What do I win?"


	21. Chapter 21 - A Last Stand

**Chapter 21: A Last Stand**

Harry

Mouse had already chased off one of the police dogs when I finally got to draw my revolver and fired two warning shots against the other one. I didn't aim at it. In my current state, I wouldn't have hit it anyways – not that I wanted to, I like dogs – and maybe would have even ended up hurting Mouse instead. The police dog got the message and whimpered, turning tail. My wooly mammoth returned victoriously, a wide self-satisfied grin on his face.

Michael stepped out from behind the counter.

"Harry, I'll go look for Murphy and Molly. Can you handle-"

"Take Mouse with you," I interrupted him. "Finding them will be much easier with him around. Right, buddy?"

My dog yawned affirmatively and wagged his tail at Michael, while sniffing for traces of Molly's or Murphy's scents. When he found something, he barked once, and trotted off – Michael in tow.

And just like that, our group of more or less capable fighters had shrunken down to Papyrus, Undyne, Davis and me – not counting the unconscious people.

The ranger, finally coming to his senses, put the liquor bottle out of his lap. He still seemed a little jumpy, looking around as if something could appear out of nowhere and attack him at any time.

… oh, right. He had run into Sans before his de-chara-zation.

"That… that short skeleton before," Davis mumbled, "he was-"

"Don't worry," I said, putting the revolver back into my pocket. "He's not going to attack you again."

The man didn't look convinced – but at least a little less freaked out. "He can _teleport_?"

"Signature move," I responded, heaving myself up.

It had only been a matter of time until the next hosts would show up; especially after I had fired my gun.

And here came the first wave. Two people, again. Civilians. Again.

It were two men this time – one blonde, with the built and tan of a surfer (in the middle of Colorado, _how_?), the other with the face and hairdo of a moderately successful business man.

"What? WHAT! Wizard, what's going on? More people?" Undyne shouted, still subject to Papyrus's healing magic, pinned to the ground.

I nodded courtly, knowing she wouldn't be able to see it, and sighed.

Re-opening the Sight didn't bring a new stream of headache with it anymore – instead, I almost fell over. I fought against it, pulling myself up with sheer willpower and gathered the scattered remnants of my energy.

The Parasites of these two resembled ringed worms – with teeth, because of course they had to have teeth – and had a rubber-like exterior. They seemed to have more control over their hosts than the last ones, as the men walked relatively normal – and were even able to charge at me running.

I couldn't take them on both at the same time, so I raised my free hand against the surfer and poured in as little of my will as possible.

"Ventas Servitas!"

My Vision went blurry for a second, but I regained it just as quickly. A blast of wind brushed by, gained momentum and knocked the blonde man off his feet, several paces back. The other one halted, and his Parasite regarded its companion motionlessly.

Behind the counter, Undyne managed to break free from Papyrus and jumped on top of the bar, grinning. "Hell yeah! Let's do this!"

"UNDYNE!" Papyrus protested, reaching for her arm. "YOU ARE STILL HURT!"

"Work through the pain!" Undyne bellowed. She punched herself onto the semi-healed injury, making Davis and me cringe in the process.

"YEAH!" The fish-woman yelled. "I feel ALIVE! … Shit, that hurts!"

Who would have thought.

"I _JUST_ HEALED THAT!" Papyrus sounded like a distraught housewife complaining about dirt on freshly cleaned floor. I focused my attention back on the man I hadn't knocked down, and let him come at me. Just as he swung his fist at me, Parasite following the movement like a motion blur, I used his over-balance to my advantage. I ducked beneath his arm, ending up closely behind the man, gripped my staff and struck the front of his ankles with the end. I whirled around, gave the stick a forceful pull while kicking against the man's lower back, making him fall over. As quickly as I could, I got down and pressed one knee on his back.

"Undyne!" I growled. "Less self-mutilation, more helping!"

"Right on ya!" She responded, conjuring up her spear. "NGAH!"

I threw a quick glance at the man I had knocked over – and had to discover that his Parasite had taken the opportunity to ditch the other one. The surfer was nowhere to be seen.

Well, at least I could now concentrate on the one below me.

The man's ringed worm _hissed_ at me, and shot forward, teeth aimed at my face. I tilted to the side, grabbed it by the back of its neck – its skin had a weird, rubbery feel to it – let go of my staff and seized the other end of the Worm instead.

"Nice moves by the way!" Undyne ran up to me, stopping with a slide.

I struggled against the Parasite and held its upper half up to her.

"Stab it!"

Her spears were made of magic. Just like Papyrus's bones with the Caterpillar, there was no reason for it not to work.

The fish-woman looked at me in confusion. "Stab… what?"

"Don't ask, just stab it!" I growled. My grip around the Parasite's neck weakened as my headache was mincing my brain into submission on every possible side.

Undyne shrugged, rammed the spear blindly somewhere into the air near my wrist – and pierced right through the Worm. Her eyes widened with glee. "I hit something!" Filled with ferocious joy, she moved the spear to the side and sliced the part of the Parasite I could detain in half.

"DIE, you… thingy!" She ordered.

The Parasite complied. Screeching its life out, its gooey, pitch-black insides welled up from Undyne's cut and dripped all over the rocky surface below it. The Stench and Look of it were… indescribable. I was close to vomiting. Thankfully, the worm stopped struggling before that, and I was certain enough of its death to let it go.

With the tip of her spear, Undyne pointed at the unmoving human.

"He's good to go now, right?"

I nodded. "He's not infected anymore, y-"

"Paps! CATCH!" Undyne shouted, grabbing the unconscious human and lifting him up as if he weighed nothing. The rest of the dead worm slid down from its prior host and splattered on the ground. Like she had done with Mandy before, Undyne hauled the man through the air, right at Papyrus, who had been watching us with a mixture of concern and giddy, childlike admiration.

"NYEH!" The skeleton spread his arms, breaking the man's flight – and crashing into the liquor shelf along with him, shattering another row of bottles. Papyrus groaned and gently moved the human body away, letting him down.

"PLEASE DO NOT THROW PEOPLE AT OTHERS, UNDYNE!" He complained, rubbing the back of his skull. "IT'S NOT VERY POLITE!"

"Screw polite!" Undyne rammed her fist in the air. Blood, too dark and thick to be like human-like, trickled out of her re-torn wound in her upper abdomen. She ignored it. I guess she really did work through the pain.

Davis, who had gotten up to avoid the flying human, cleared his throat awkwardly, pointing at her injury.

"Uh… you're leaking. … I guess it doesn't matter."

"BUT IT _DOES_ MATTER!" Papyrus protested. "UNDYNE IS NOT A SKELETON; SHE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE HOLES IN HER TORSO! AND THAT RED LIQUID… IS MEANT TO STAY INSIDE HER, I THINK."

I heaved myself up, leaning on my staff once again.

"We've got to go and take care of the others, Undyne," I said. "I think the way we did it now is as good as any other at this point."

Undyne gave me a thumbs-up and a horrifying, toothy grin.

"Fighting together! Like in Anime! LOVE it!"

Like in what?

Papyrus studied the fish-woman with new concern. "UNDYNE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO… AT LEAST LET ME COME WITH YOU AND HELP!"

Suddenly, Undyne's expression went from fired up to anxious. "N-nah, Paps," she stammered, frantically looking around, as if searching for the rights word to say. "You… you're needed behind that counter!"

I frowned. Why?

The lanky skeleton looked like a rejected puppy. "BUT-"

Undyne's face lit up. "Papyrus!" She pointed at him with her glowing light-spear. There was still black Parasite-liquid dripping from the tip, like molten liquorice. "I hereby appoint you as a Super Special Elite Guard for the Queen and the unconscious humans! You can't leave their side! Take care of them while the wizard and I do the clean-up!"

That was all that was needed to pacify him. Papyrus eye-sockets welled up with tears, completely overwhelmed with happiness. He saluted to her. "I WILL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU!"

Relieved, Undyne exhaled, and smiled at him adoringly. "I know you won't, bonehead!"

She waved at me, impatient. "Let's go!"

* * *

Frisk

"You know what I don't get, Chara?" Flowey's voice was tentative.

The addressee grinned in response. "So _now_ you want to talk? What is it, _friend_?"

Both Frisk and Flowey shivered at Chara using that word. Far too often, sarcastic kindness had been followed by cruel actions, when used by them.

Reluctantly, the plant stuck his head up and turned his face towards the caged child.

"You could've started mentally torturing the smiley trash-bag – like you did at the end – way earlier. You would've won if you had taken him over sooner. And I don't think you wanted to spare him the pain. That's not like you," he concluded, suspicious.

"… ' **m right here."**

Chara ignored Sans's comment. "There was a considerable risk that it would actually hurt him physically –phantom pain and all that fun – and turn him to dust, as weak as he is. I didn't want to throw away my playing cards so quickly."

Annoyed, Frisk clenched their fists and stood up, glaring down at their involuntary company.

"Stop talking like that. He's not your plaything."

Chara shrugged, unimpressed.

" **still right here,"** Sans muttered.

"Yeah," Flowey answered the skeleton, bending his stem to the side. "Why, though?" His sadistic grin replaced the fake-friendly one. "What, are you a hindrance to the other fighters? Gee, of course you are. Useless as always."

Sans didn't answer him.

Frisk's fingers twitched – and clasped the sleeves of their borrowed jacket. Time to give it back, and…

maybe… maybe they could…

The child removed the two foreign top layers of cloth, left with their usual striped sweater. They shambled over to the skeleton and clumsily tried to fold the clothes on the ground next to the actual jacket owner. The outcome was… more or less what you could expect from a little kid that wasn't used to doing laundry.

Unhappy with the results, Frisk unfolded the two pieces of clothing again and did it over. And over.

At some point of their increasingly futile attempts, they felt Sans's eyes on them and froze mid-motion.

 **"leave it. they're not used to being folded up properly anyway."**

Frisk tried to smile at him. "But… but I'm going to get it right, now. I'm… I'm so _clothes._ " They cringed at themselves and heard Chara and Flowey groan in unison.

Sans just stared at them, his expression unreadable. Frisk avoided the glowing pupils and looked at the mess to their side. "It… it was a pun," they said weakly.

"I _think_ he noticed that," Chara remarked. "It's just… you're not made for this kind of trash humor. Nothing to be ashamed of, really."

"It's not trash!" Frisk protested. "It's really funny when… when Sans does it."

"Not really, no," Flowey muttered.

Chara sighed. "Look, Frisk, I know you pretty well. And I think I understand what you're trying to do here, but… give it up. He's not going to forgive you, ever. He tolerates you. _Barely_." They giggled. "I mean, why do you think he came back here in the first place? I bet it's because he trusts neither of you to properly keep watch. Isn't that right, comedian?"

Sans stayed silent.

"No answer is still an answer," Chara said.

With their throat tightening, Frisk felt themselves tearing up and pressed their eyes closed. No crying.

"Shut up, Chara," Flowey mumbled.

* * *

Harry

It was difficult to walk through the labyrinth of tents, looking out for any possessed humans and at the same time making sure that we didn't enter anyone's line of fire. It was even more difficult to keep Undyne from thrashing forward out of impatience and fighting spirit. She wasn't exactly the type that thrived in stealth attacks. Then again, neither was I.

I put the time searching for the next host to free to good use and tried to analyze our situation – giving my brain something else to do besides throbbing.

According to Undyne, the human group had consisted out of fifteen people; thirteen of which hadn't been wearing a uniform. That meant we had two police officers to deal with. However, judging from the bullet hell from before, there had been quite some civilians in that group taking full advantage of the Second Amendment as well – I was guessing all in all seven armed people.

As Undyne had seen, about two humans had fled after the first shots had been fired – apparently not the whole group had been infected. Made sense, some of them could have simply only joined the voluntary search teams as of today, making it impossible for Chara to infect all of them prior to this.

Not counting the fugitives, we would be left with thirteen opponents, two of which were police, about seven of which were armed, plus the two dogs Mouse had put to flight.

Since Sans had teleported the Pest-Control-Squad here, we had already freed three involuntary hosts, none of which had been armed – and had all been relatively easy to take care of. That led me to believe that the Parasites had some sort of established pecking order, some kind of hierarchy, sorted by intelligence – or awareness, rather.

The ones most aware were the ones that could use the guns, while the others only led their hosts around the camp, trying to find human or Monster souls to incubate or leech on to. The gunner-Parasites had to have some sort of understanding that those capable of using magic were the only substantial threats to their kind – otherwise, shooting at and, by that, killing us wouldn't make much sense in the first place if you thought about it.

Hiding behind a tent close to my borrowed one, I left it at that and instead finally turned to Undyne to ask a question that had been bugging me ever since we had left Grillby's tent.

"Why didn't you want to take Papyrus with us? Davis could've guarded the others, and I think he was mostly done healing Toriel. The guy's a good fighter. He and Mouse actually took care of many Parasites before."

Undyne stopped behind the next tent, carefully looking around it before sneaking further.

"I _know_ he's good. But he's just too damn nice," she whispered. "If a human hurts him, he'll just… be ripped into tiny smiling shreds. He's not gonna defend himself properly." She grinned diabolically. "Unlike ME."

Point taken. Maybe it was for the best. And anyways, if another host showed up at Grillby's tent, the people hiding there had more of a chance with Papyrus than without him.

In spite of our best efforts to find the next hosts and single them out one by one, we were found by a group of four in the end. One police-man, three civilians – two women and one man – all of them armed. Just as they raised their guns, I shut my eyes and pulled up my will, shielding Undyne and myself from the incoming bullets just in time. The fish-woman let out a startled curse and grabbed me before I could collapse.

Sight open – hello vertigo – I Looked over the four hosts quickly and mumbled the locations of their Parasites to Undyne in an exhausted slur.

Head. Left leg. Stomach. Kidney-area.

… Yes, Undyne, the kidney is directly below the rib-cage.

Shouting her battle-cry, Undyne made several spears appear and flung them at our opponents. Two dodged, one was only grazed, but she successfully one-shot the one that Looked like a giant Louse on top of its host's head. The host – a woman – relaxed and fell down.

The other three went on to circle us, guns steady.

I prepared to create another shield – although I wouldn't be able to protect the two of us from all sides anyways – and pulled up my will.

It didn't work.

Shit.

The guns fired – and suddenly, I found myself up in the air. Undyne had grabbed me and jumped up, considerably higher than she should have been able to.

Seriously?

Issue number one: if all the Monsters were supposed to be oh so much weaker than humans, then Undyne was the overcompensation for that collective weakness. Issue number two: if Frisk had actually killed her once without her flat-out letting the kid win, I called BS. Either that, or Chara had helped the kid way more than they had admitted to.

"Where do I hit them now?" Undyne yelled, landing a few paces behind the next host. She didn't let go of me, instead pressing me to her side, prepared for another jump. It smelled a little like sushi.

I blinked at the armed Parasite-hosts. The woman had hit the police-man in the leg when we had avoided them, and the injured one was losing a serious amount of blood. I groaned.

"Man, left shoulder. Woman, right hip. Uniform – watch out!"

But Undyne already dove under the next bullets, then launched the two of us up again, flinging another array of glowing spears at the designated points. One of the spears wasn't blue, but yellow – and shortly after, I understood why. Instead of hitting the male civilian at the front, it suddenly accelerated, circled him and pierced through the giant Tick on his shoulder from behind.

I glanced at the fish-woman incredulously as we got back on the ground.

"You code-color your weapons by their different functions?"

She laughed. "Cool, right?"

"Woman, left hip. Uniform, chest," I said, avoiding having to answer.

Undyne grinned and cried out – creating multiple spearheads all at once, circling the two humans. The fish-woman lifted her arm, and all the glowing light-arrows flew at the humans in their center. I gripped Undyne's shoulder.

"Are you insane?! You're going to stab those people, and-"

"Take a chill pill," Undyne cackled – and most of the spears disappeared just before they could harm the two hosts. The Parasite clinging to the police officer – a mix between cicada and spider – got hit squarely in its back and fell from its host, hissing as it died.

The last one, another Tick, hopped off its host on its own – leaving the woman to collapse.

"Jackpot!" Undyne yelled proudly.

"No!" I pointed at the fleeing Parasite. "It's running away! We can't let it!"

The fish-woman flung more arrows randomly in the direction I was pointing at, none of which even came close to the bolting Tick.

"Did I get it?" She asked.

"No!"

"Then give better directions!" She snapped. "I can't see SHIT!"

Before I could give an appropriate remark, Mouse came running towards us, teeth bared, growling. Without holding back, he jumped on top of the Tick, bit into it and cleanly ripped its head off.

Undyne glanced at me from the side, still supporting me. " _He_ offed it, didn't he?"

I nodded. Mouse came over and wagged his tail at us, clearly proud of himself.

"Good job, dude," Undyne praised him and reached out to pet him with her free hand.

 _Bang_.

A single bullet came from behind one of the tents around us and hit Undyne in the leg. She flinched, cried out in pain and had a hard time not to fall over and pull me down with her. Mouse barked and pressed to her other side, trying to support her.

"Shit!" Undyne's eyes narrowed as she scanned our surroundings. "I'm SICK of these cowards and their freaking SNEAK ATTACKS!"

Another spear appeared out of thin air – this time shimmering in a green light. Undyne growled like an irritated bear and flung it at one of the tents. The spear went right through the cloth and hit whatever had been hiding behind it.

There was a response.

A startled yelp, a woman's voice.

I winced. That… hadn't sounded like an infected person.

"So. What does green do?"

Undyne grinned up at me. "You'll see." She pointed her finger at the tent. "Charge!"

Supporting each other, we slowly approached Undyne's victim – and found a woman sitting behind the lining of cloth. She was more on the short, slender side, and had long wavy black hair draping her shoulders and her back. Looks-wise, she was barely old enough to be the mother of one of the lost children. She held a gun in her hands, her legs shaking, terrified. No Parasite. Just someone scared that hadn't fled for some reason. I exhaled and risked closing my Sight, trusting on Mouse to spot any other potential invisible threat.

When Undyne entered her line of vision, the woman screamed again, pulling the gun's trigger – but nothing other than empty clicking-noises came out of it. Shocked, she stared at the useless weapon in her hands, then back at Undyne – and decided to throw the pistol at the Monster.

It was a weak throw. Undyne easily caught it with her free hand.

For all the fear the woman was displaying, she didn't try to run away – weirdly enough. The terror in her eyes triggered my protective instincts – followed by pure sympathy.

"Where did your spear go, Undyne?" I asked, while trying to think of a way to calm the poor woman down a little.

She cackled. "It did its job, alright! She can't flee. That's my specialty!"

I sighed and took a step forward, ending the mutual support with the battle-crazed fish. The woman flinched and leant back, trembling furiously – but apparently, she literally _couldn't_ flee.

That was some nasty magic Undyne had there.

Despite the pain that had started to spread out through my whole body by now, I tried my best to give her a tired smile.

"I know it looks bad, but try to calm down. We're not your enemies – we won't hurt you."

Most important facts out of the way. Didn't have the effect I had hoped for, though. The woman shivered, unresponsive.

I pinched my nose-bridge and closed my eyes for a second.

"Could you please tell me your name?"

No answer.

One last attempt, then Undyne and I would have to go back to looking for the next couple hosts – as long as we were still capable. I opened my eyes.

"Miss. Are you related to one of the lost children your group was searching for?"

The woman flinched, her gaze grew apprehensive.

"She looks a little like Amy," Undyne remarked from behind.

That was the magic word. From one second to another, the woman jumped up and tried to stand tall before us. A challenging move, with her not quite reaching five foot three in height.

"Wh-where is she?" She croaked, her voice breaking up. "Where's my daughter?! What… have you…" Tears ran over her face, while she gave it her all not to back down. Not that she could have, thanks to my marine company.

"She's fine," I said sternly. "Don't worry, you'll get her back as soon as this situation has been resolved. Undyne -" I turned my head, nodding at her. "Let her go."

The fish woman shrugged, and Amy's mother stumbled a step back, as if an invisible wall behind her had vanished.

"Mouse," I said. "Take her to Mr. Davis and Papyrus. Undyne and I have to-"

Before I could finish the sentence, Mouse barked loudly, looking at Undyne. Fish-woman stared back, raised an eyebrow and slowly started to grin.

"Well, would ya look at that." She turned back to me. "He says Michael, Molly and Murphy took care of the rest."

"B-but he is a dog," Amy's mother stuttered.

Undyne regarded her with a look of confusion. "So what?"

The woman flinched, but stood her ground bravely.

"Don't question it, Miss," I said, tired – and relieved.

Over. It was finally… over. I felt my legs give way.

 _Wait._

Wasn't there something I was forgetting?

My consciousness didn't last long enough for me to consider that problem. My vision blacked out one final time, I tilted over… and was gone.

* * *

Frisk

As time went by, Frisk grew more and more nervous. What was keeping the wizard so long? … Had it even been long? Sure felt like it.

At one point, Chara had started an imaginary tic-tac-toe game against themselves from within their solitary confinement – loudly announcing their placed marks. It had been one draw after another. Not having anything better to do, Frisk had sat down in front of them, next to Flowey, and watched the ghost-demon-child. They had the feeling that Sans preferred they left him alone, anyway.

"Aaaaand it's a _draw_ , gentlemen and Frisk!" Chara broadcasted. "Who wants to join in? Nobody? What a surprise. Well then, another go." They fell on their back and stared up at the sky. "Circle in the middle. X in the upper right corner."

"Circle in the upper middle," Flowey muttered.

Chara snorted. "Upper middle it is." Their head lolled to the side. "How nice of you to –" They froze, eyes wide. "Oh shit! Frisk, get up and run!"

Frisk frowned. "But… why?" They followed Chara's gaze – there was nothing there.

"Chara, if this is supposed to scare me, then-" they began, but Chara shook their head hastily.

"No, you idiot!" They gasped. "Duck!"

The child narrowed their eyes, but complied and let themselves fall flat to the ground.

"Comedi- _Sans_ , teleport you two out of here!" The caged child yelled, their eyes obviously following something invisible. Frisk's heartbeat accelerated. Chara wasn't bluffing. There really _was_ something there, wasn't it?

Sans appeared next to them, crouched down and clutched their shoulder, throwing a distrusting glance at Chara. The see-through child banged their fists against the invisible magic wall. "Don't stare at me, _go_!"

But it was too late.

Frisk felt Sans's grip loosen and watched in shock as the skeleton dropped to the side, a pained expression on his face. Just a second later, something that felt like a giant sting entered at their back right between their shoulder blades and made them cry out in agony. Something light and rubbery spread itself onto their body and nestled one end at their neck. The child couldn't spend one thought on disgust or fear. The horrible feeling that emerged from the sting in their back swept over everything else.

They knew this feeling. It was similar to when someone took out their soul.

Only much, much worse. Instead of taking it, it was just connecting to it, not pulling the soul out, but rather… rupturing it into pieces, draining it, slowly but surely. Like plucking a spiked straw into it and sucking out all its energy.

"-isk! Frisk!"

Flowey. The plant sounded outright panicky. Frisk opened their mouth, but they couldn't answer. Out of the corner of their eye, they could see a blurry yellow circle wiggling from side to side – Flowey's head.

"Chara, what's going on? Why are they like this?"

Chara's response was filled with frustration.

"Two stray pets of mine. Ones that just hatched from their… incubators. They're not out to control souls yet, only focused on eating them and grow." They sighed. "Don't run away, you're not in danger. You don't _have_ a soul, you don't interest them."

"And what now?" The flower asked.

"You could try and get the wizard," Chara said casually. "He'd be able to do something about it."

Flowey cackled. "W-why should I go and help? I hate them! Both of them!"

Something about his mean laughter was… different than usual.

Chara smirked audibly. "Not true, _Azzy_. I know you haven't turned back to Flowey completely yet."

"H-how would _you_ know?" Flowey stuttered.

"Of course I know. I'm your best friend, remember?"

Flowey's voice grew hectic. "You… you _killed_ me!"

"Nope," Chara replied. "Frisk and I killed _Flowey_. Not Asriel. Never Asriel. … Now drop the act and get on with it. If you're too slow, then… well." They chuckled sardonically. "At least I'll have some entertainment until the comedian dies. I'm sure he'll turn to dust before Frisk kicks the bucket. If you're going to stay anyway… want to place a bet?"

Flowey… Asriel struggled with himself – and vanished into the ground.

"Two hundred years and he still listens to me. Guess some things never change," Chara ruminated.

Despite the ever-growing pain and the horrible feeling of losing control over their body, Frisk managed to lift their head, trying to look at Chara. It was a pointless endeavor. The ghost-child was nothing more than a colorful blur.

"Don't make that face, Frisk," Chara said. "I did everything I could. And besides, while I would regret losing you – had the wizard not caught me _thanks to you_ , I would have lived a lot longer than you anyway. If you die now, our farewell will be just a little… earlier than expected."

They were telling the truth. Frisk knew them well enough to understand that.

An eternity of pain and continuous struggle later, the blur that was Chara jumped up from within their prison. Had they been able to, Frisk would have cried out in relief. Mr. Dresden was back, right? He would save Sans and them, right?

"What is _she_ doing out here on her own?" Chara pondered quietly.

 _She?_

Another moment of silence – followed by a child-like gasp, not far from them.

"F-Frisk? Sans?"

Wasn't that _that_ girl's voice? Mandy's?

Chara was right. What was _she_ doing out here on her own?!

Somewhere to their close left, they thought they heard Sans groan in frustration. Or maybe it was pain.

And why couldn't it just have been the wizard? _Why_?

Hurried steps approached them and seconds later, the girl-blur's shoe entered their line of sight.

"What… what's going on?" Mandy's voice was trembling. "What happened?!"

Frisk felt her hand on their shoulder, shaking them.

"Frisk! Wake up!"

The hand vanished.

"Sans! Please!"

"I'd take a step back if I were you," Chara remarked from their circular prison.

Frisk heard Mandy shriek and retreat.

 _Good_. _Don't get close_.

"Who- who are you?! I… I mean… sorry, I didn't see you before, I-"

"Greetings. I am Chara," the child responded soothingly. "Don't worry. Considering my visibility status – I guess it just happens."

Mandy hesitated. "Who… what… are you a ghost?"

"For the last time, I…" Chara stopped mid-sentence and sighed. "Something like that."

Slowly, the girl seemed to recognize the caged child. "Chara… that name, you-" She became more cautious with every word. "Are… weren't you the one who… who did that to my classmates? Did… did you hurt Sam?" She added, in a whisper: "Did you kill Chloe and David?"

"That would be me, yes."

Chara. Nonchalant as always. Hadn't it been such an awful topic, Frisk would have almost laughed – if they had been able to.

Mandy's voice grew yet quieter – from the sound of it, she was further backing away. "A-are you… are Frisk and Sans hurting because of you?"

"No. Well, you could make the point that I am indirectly responsible," the caged child admitted. Frisk could almost _hear_ them shrug it off.

"Y-you… how could you do this? Why-" Mandy yelped. "Stop! No! Don't come any closer!"

 _Closer_?Had the magic circle been broken somehow?! Frisk tried to look up again – but their body wouldn't listen to them anymore.

It couldn't be. Mandy hadn't gotten close enough to cross the line and break the circle, had she? How…

Or was Chara just bluffing?

"Okay, okay, fine. I'll stand still. See?" The ghost-demon-child said smugly.

Oh no. They _were_ bluffing – which meant they had a plan.

Chara added a smooth, fake-kind tone to their voice. "Calm down, I won't hurt you. Look, you're in control. No reason to be afraid. Actually… why don't you come over here on your own? I won't force you."

Oh God, no.

"W-why would I?" Mandy stammered – overtly terrified.

 _Please stay that way._

Frisk did feel a little bad for wishing her to be afraid. But, right now, it was the only thing that kept her safe.

"Because, with your help, I will be able to save Frisk," Chara said serenely. "And the comedian. Might as well have him survive. What do you say?"

"I… I don't believe you!" The girl sobbed. "You're not going to help! Y-you're dangerous!"

Chara snickered. "Not untrue, I suppose. Well, I won't force you to do anything. Just as promised. You can go away or stay where you are and watch them die. A pity, really," they added, yawning. "Your choice is going to be the final nail in their coffins." The child snorted. "In Frisk's coffin, anyway. There won't be enough left of Sans to bury. He should be crumbling to dust any minute now."

"Stop talking like that!" Mandy yelled – helpless, scared.

 _The perfect condition for manipulation._

But before either of them could say anything else, the gentle mountain breeze started to pick up. It grew stronger, far stronger, until the gusts of wind howled, pressing through the ruins of the former cave behind them. It was just like when Mandy had had an outburst back at the camp.

Frisk felt their stomach clenching. This wasn't going in a good direction at all.

"-ey! Hey!"

Chara's voice was barely audible through the cutting air – but apparently, it was still loud enough to reach Mandy. The wind stopped as quickly as it had started. Frisk heard the little girl gasp in shock.

"Another wizard?" Chara muttered. This time, Frisk was sure of it – Chara had a wide smile on their face.

"How _interesting_."


	22. Chapter 22 - One Person's Loss

**Chapter 22: One Person's Loss…**

Harry

"Papyrus, the worst injuries have been dealt with. You really do not need to push yourself so much, I can-"

 _Toriel._

"PUSHING MYSELF? PREPOSTEROUS! SUPPORTING YOU IS PART OF MY DUTY AS THE NEWLY APPOINTED SPECIAL ROYAL GUARD FOR YOU AND THE HUMANS, MISS TORIEL! MOREOVER, THE TALL HUMAN IS A FRIEND! I CANNOT ALLOW MYSELF TO REST UNTIL HE AWAKES!"

 _Obvious._

"Just let him help, Toriel. You're not really alive and kicking, either. Well, alive, maybe, but it'll take a while until you'll be kicking anything again."

 _Undyne_.

"Thank you, Undyne, but I am quite fine without kicking anything. You, on the other hand, need this leg to be looked at. That, and your upper abdomen."

 _Toriel again_.

"You caught two bullets, from the looks of it. _And_ they got right through. I'd say you lie down now."

 _Murphy_.

"HAH! And why should I do as YOU say, blondie?"

 _My cue to wake up and stop the banter from escalating._

"Ladies, ladies," I croaked, voice raspy, eyes slowly opening. I discovered Murphy and Undyne standing opposite each other, both glaring at the other belligerently. "No reason to fight over me."

Literally _over_ me. As in "above". … Sans would've gotten it.

My words had the intended effect. The two of them backed down, Murphy sighed – obviously in complete mock-annoyance – and Undyne… threw a confused look at me.

"What the heck? Would never. I'm into chicks."

I blinked. Not quite the response I had expected.

"Mr. Dresden!" Toriel sounded overjoyed. I felt her furry paw/hand stroke my hair and was immediately embarrassed. "Thank goodness! How wonderful to see you wake up again!"

"FRIEND! I AM NOT USUALLY ONE TO ENCOURAGE SUCH BEHAVIOR, HOWEVER! MAYBE YOU SHOULD CONSIDER TAKING A NAP SOON! FOR YOU SEE – YOU ARE STILL QUITE ILL!"

I sat up. Papyrus was right – the all-to-familiar head-throbbing came back instantly – but it was a lot better than before.

The group had changed locations from Grillby's tent to the one in which I had first met Toriel, Asgore and Frisk yesterday. The table where I had eaten the pie was standing further back, the stools stacked over each other near it. And, orderly placed in a row – sorted by height, no less – were the unconscious ex-hosts. All fourteen of them – the two policemen and eleven civilians, plus the kid Chara had used as their mouthpiece.

This would require a hell of an explanation once they woke up. But at least none of them looked injured at first glance.

"Where's Molly, Michael, Mouse and…" I looked around again. "Davis? And Amy's mom?"

"Ranger guy is walking around outside, looking out if anyone else is around. Rest went off to the evacuation place, your dog in the lead," Undyne explained. "Amy's mom was hell-bent on seeing her daughter."

"No wonder," Toriel said sympathetically. "I can imagine how she must feel. It is quite a heavy load for a parent to take, fearing for your child like this."

"The others went with her so she had some human company when meeting… the others," Murphy added. "Michael and I agreed that maybe letting her encounter a cave full of Monsters and, with the teach, only _one_ other adult human, wasn't the best idea. She would've probably freaked out and complicated things."

"Makes sense," I murmured, gradually getting on my feet. Toriel grasped my shoulder and studied me, concerned.

"Mr. Dresden, maybe you should wait until Papyrus and I have-"

"I can sleep once I've left this damn mountain," I grumbled, shaking off her hand as friendly as I could. Frowning, I tried to recall what I had thought about before blacking out, but I couldn't grasp it.

Whatever it was, Chara was the bigger threat to deal with, waiting up there somewhere to the west, together with Frisk and Flowey. Not really a group I wanted to leave on their own all that long.

"Hey!"

It was Davis's voice, coming from outside. I narrowed my eyes, looking towards the tent's exit. The silky cloth was drawn apart, and in came the ranger, breathing hard, his fingers closed around… a golden flower.

… this couldn't be good.

"Is Mr. Dresden up ag- great, you are. This… thing… plant-guy here wanted to talk to you," Davis explained, obviously struggling to keep his sanity. Being confronted with all of this on the same day, he wasn't doing all that bad.

"Let go of me, human!" Asriel/Flowey snarled, wriggling in the man's grip. "Wizard, we have to-"

"What the hell kinda monster are YOU?" Undyne cackled loudly, pointing at him. "You… wait." The fish-woman stepped up to Davis – who instinctively leant back – and loomed over the plant in his hand. "I've seen you before, haven't I?"

" _I_ have," Toriel chimed in, her voice icy. She crossed her arms. "What is it that you want, soulless creature?"

Yikes. If only she knew.

What was left of her formerly dead son shrank and avoided her glare, instead bending his stalk to the side, past Undyne, focusing on me. "We have to hurry back again! Quickly, I-"

"Did Chara get out?" I snarled. Hell's Bells, I should've just…

"No!" Frustrated, Asriel/Flowey freed himself from Davis's grasp and fell to the ground, pulling himself forward with his leaves, closer to me. He looked exhausted.

"Now _this_ is properly freaky," Murphy muttered, arms akimbo.

Nervously, the plant stared at me and shied away as usual when I bent down to pick him up. I sighed, reached forward and got a hold of him anyway.

"I promise, I didn't let them out and neither did Frisk, and I-" the flower stuttered – but went silent once I lifted my free hand.

"Geez, Dresden, remind me to never gift you a plant," Murphy snorted.

"Calm down, think and tell me what happened," I said coolly.

Few minutes later, Papyrus, Toriel, Undyne and I were on our way hurrying west, leaving Davis and Murphy behind to watch over the unconscious humans. Flowey was back on my shoulder, tense.

"Did Chara say anything about how much time Frisk and Sans had left?" I huffed quietly, as to not alarm Papyrus or Toriel even further. The two of them had been barely restrainable after Flowey had described what he had seen, and it was hard to keep them back from just running off. It wasn't as if they could have done anything on their own, anyway.

"No, I… they just said if I didn't hurry, it would be too late."

"If you still have enough air to babble, you can run faster!" Undyne shouted from behind us, barely keeping up with two makeshift crutches – or, to be more precise, two young trees she had ripped out of the ground. Her affected leg was clearly bothering her, but she didn't even make a face. I made a mental note to never get on this lunatic's bad side. She was the type that would continue to spit at or bite you if you ripped off her arms and legs. Hell, there was _still_ blood oozing from her gunshot wound in her abdomen.

Panting, dizzy, drenched in sweat and celebrating the glorious return of my headache, I finally hauled myself up onto the plateau where I had imprisoned Chara. With Papyrus and the others following me, I went around several bigger boulders – rubble from the caved-in throne room – and soon discovered Frisk and Sans, lying behind one of the larger rocks, next to each other. They didn't move, but they looked almost… peaceful? Not really the expression I was used to with Parasite-victims.

And… a certain someone was missing.

Damn it all.

"SANS! HUMAN!"

"My child!"

Papyrus and Toriel dashed forward. I barely managed to hold them back.

"Wait! I have to look if…" I groaned and blinked, opening my Sight for just another moment.

No Parasites anywhere. And no Chara, either.

My arms dropped. "Go on. They're safe."

The skeleton and the queen goat scurried over to the kid and Sans, crouching down, making sure they were really okay. Undyne stood back, a satisfied, relieved grin on her face, while I stalked over to the remnants of the magic circle.

The line had been crossed. Somehow, Chara had managed to break out of it and run.

I should have just killed the damn thing when I had had the chance.

But how? How had they done it? They couldn't have crossed it from the inside, and neither Sans nor Frisk could or would have helped them. Well, Frisk maybe, but with Sans around? Not a chance.

That left me with only one suspect.

I grabbed the unwary flower by his stalk and ripped him from my shoulder, scowling at him.

"Explain."

Asriel/Flowey blanched, and stared at me with big, teary eyes.

"I-I-I don't know wh-where Chara is, I swear, they were still there when I left, I…" His voice was getting thinner and more wobbly with every word. "Don't be m-mad at _me_ , I d-didn't betray y-you, really, I… I…" He broke into tears. "Please don't kill me!"

I groaned and loosened my grip a little.

"Why do you always have to jump to that conclusion?" I sighed.

Toriel's voice broke through to us and drew my attention to the kid and Sans.

"No, my child, stay down. Please, Frisk…"

The kid was awake – and clearly disturbed.

"I can't, Mom! I have to- Mr. Dresden!" Frisk crawled past Toriel, who watched them worriedly – but let them do what they wanted. I was starting to get the feeling that goat-mom wasn't strict or assertive enough with this handful of an elementary school student.

"Mr. Dresden! Is Chara still… oh no." The kid paled and squeezed their eyes shut. "I… I knew it…"

"Chara?!" Toriel exclaimed, her expression guilty. "Oh my goodness, I did not even-"

"They're gone," I said, keeping my anger in check. "What happened? You've seen it, right?"

Frisk didn't get enough time to answer me.

" **runaway with issues happened."**

Sans opened one of his eyes and grinned up at me. **"hey there,** _ **magi-pal**_ **."**

"SANS!" Papyrus shrieked over my cringing at the pun. The lanky skeleton grabbed his brother by the shoulders and pulled him into a hug. "I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE OKAY, BROTHER!"

While returning the hug, the chubby skeleton peered over Papyrus's shoulder pad and scanned our surroundings. He shared a brief look with Toriel, who smiled warmly at him; then his glowing pupils met Undyne, who was supporting herself with her make-shift crutches. He glanced at her wounds. **"nice to see you're going out on a** _ **limp**_ **for us, fish-face."**

"Shut up, Sans," Undyne snarled, not without a friendly undertone.

"No, don't shut up," I said. "What do you mean by 'runaway with issues', Sans?"

His eye-sockets grew tired. **"that girl i took from the camp to the evacuation spot? bad case of home-** _ **un**_ **-sickness, was written all over her face when she did her kamikaze-run at the camp. i had dropped her off next to her teacher, thought she would keep an eye on her. guess not."**

 _Mandy_ freed Chara?

But why?

"What happened to her after that?" I asked, feeling like the time window to re-catch Chara was narrowing as we spoke. "Where did she go? Did Chara-"

 **"dunno, blacked out before she released the creep."** Sans shrugged. I glanced at Frisk, but they shook their head apologetically.

Great. Just splendid.

"I've had it with searching for people on this goddamn mountain!" I took a deep breath. "Well, at least they didn't take your soul again, Sans. … probably used their pets to infect Mandy and go."

I frowned. "… _why_ didn't they try to take your soul, though?"

"Mr. Dresden?" Frisk asked cautiously. I tried my best not to glare at them.

"What is it?"

They fidgeted, looking aside. "Uhm… don't be mad-"

 _\- too late there, kid -_

"But I… I think Chara might have gone _with_ Mandy. Not as in 'infecting' her, but… she… she has magic too, doesn't she? She doesn't have any fighting-experience, but aside from that… wouldn't that… wouldn't that make her exactly the vessel Chara wanted in the first place?"

Hell's bells. The kid was right.

* * *

Frisk

Chara was gone.

Just like that. They were gone. And they had – very probably – taken another child with them.

After understanding the situation, Toriel had acted quickly. She sent Papyrus, Frisk and Undyne over to the evacuation point to tell the Monsters and humans there to wait up just a little longer – but mostly to finally get Undyne healed properly, Frisk suspected.

Now, Mr. Dresden, Flowey and the queen were trying their best to hunt the demon-ghost-child down.

Through Sans's teleports, they had gotten Mouse and the dogs of the Royal Guard, relying on their sense of smell to search for Mandy and her ghostly passenger – convinced they would still be able to catch up to the two of them. After all, the body was that of a ten or eleven-year-old girl. She couldn't have gotten far in such a short time span – at least that was what Undyne believed.

But Frisk knew it was pointless. They just did. If Chara didn't want to be found, it wasn't going to happen.

The instance Papyrus had set Frisk down (he had, once again, carried them around) they used the next opportunity to skip out and distance themselves a bit from the evacuation caves – and all the people in there. They needed space. Time to think.

There was nobody around. The sun was setting. Evening was approaching.

Now, leaning against a dead tree stump, waiting for the searching group to return, they were caught up in their own thoughts – trying to fight off the guilt that just kept on building up inside them.

 _My fault. Again._

The child shook their head. They hadn't done anything wrong! This was on Chara!

 _Oh_ _ **really**_ _. And who intervened when Mr. Dresden had tried to kill Chara?_

But… but Chara had been caught thanks to them. It wasn't their fault that the ghost-child had managed to flee.

 _When the searchers have to give up – and eventually, they will – the wizard is not going to be happy. Not at all. Now, who is he most likely to blame? And rightfully so?_

Frisk pressed their lips together, turning pale. They had messed up on every chance they had gotten.

" **heya, kid."**

Hearing Sans's voice next to them so suddenly, Frisk recoiled in shock and fell over to the side. As always, the skeleton had just gone off in some random direction and vanished after his job had been done. He hadn't reappeared until now.

Still lying on their side, Frisk eyed Sans with some uncertainty. Sure, by now they had understood he was not going to take revenge, and they were really glad that he was talking to them in a somewhat neutral tone. But there was still this air of awkward tension between them that made the child nervous. Not quite scared of _him_ , more… afraid that they could say something that would make him mad at them.

The skeleton sat down next to them, perpetual grin up, eyes closed.

" **what're you making that face for? you caught the wizard's sickness or somethin'?"**

Frisk sat up. They couldn't help but notice how Sans immediately opened one of his eye-sockets, watching them through a narrow gap. Well. Of course he didn't trust them. It would be a lot of work to ever get back to that. Provided it was even possible anymore.

"No, I was just thinking," the child muttered, staring blankly at their knees.

" **about what?"**

The child took a deep breath, pondering what to answer. The last thing they wanted was to make Sans think that they were drowning themselves in a mix of self-pity and self-deprecation. They wanted neither further condemnation nor some sort of forced pity – even though they were pretty sure that they were unlikely to receive the latter from the getgo.

It was fine. They _did_ have something else they could say. There were a lot of things that had been bothering them, after all.

"Chara was right," Frisk muttered.

Now it was Sans's turn to wince. **"care to elaborate on that?"**

The child returned his stare. The skeleton's pupils had died out, leaving nothing but the empty black void behind.

When they had seen it for the first few times, that look had scared the living daylight out of Frisk. But they had gotten used to it by now.

"Chara used to say that leaving the Underground was a great mistake and a tragedy waiting to happen. That Monsters would be overrun by humanity. That you were too few and too weak to defend yourselves. And that I wouldn't be able to do _anything_ to stop it if you… if all of you…"

 **"died,"** Sans supplied casually.

The child avoided his gaze. "Yes. That… that was my reason for the resets. For… for most of them at least."

A moment of silence passed.

" **huh. can't say i disagree,"** Sans said.

Frisk swallowed and tried to ignore their throat tightening.

 **"but,"** the skeleton continued, **"what's done is done. now that it's come to this, we'll have to find some way to deal with it. whining or finding someone to blame has never helped anyone. 'sides, it's a waste of energy."** He winked at them. **"the humans at the camp haven't woken up yet, but it'll only be a matter of time. we still don't know whether they're gonna welcome us with open arms… or just** _ **arms**_ **. so, what's the plan?"**

The child choked, overwhelmed with the responsibility they felt put on them. The pressure crushed their body, squeezed their chest. They covered their face with their hands; a failed attempt at holding their tears back.

"I… I don't know. I- I'm just a child, how can I-" Frisk fell into a sob. "I know i-it's my re-responsibility, b-but I… I can't… I don't… I…"

The child curled up, shutting their surroundings out. Images of Toriel's and Undyne's semi-healed wounds flashed before their eyes; and those had mostly been inflicted by people that hadn't even been conscious, according to what the fish-warrior had said. This wasn't even indicative of what a skilled, controlled human group could inflict on the Monsters, if determined to do so. Chara's constant reminders came to their mind – that they were at a disadvantage. That the Monsters were all going to be decimated. That…

 **"of course you don't,"** Sans's voice broke through to them. Frisk glanced up, shivering. The skeleton wasn't looking at them. **"never said it had to be** _ **your**_ **plan. would be kinda stupid to let a nine-year-old decide over the fate of five hundred people in the first place."**

He stood up and stepped in front of the child. **"that being said, you're still gonna be a key factor in whatever plan we're gonna have to go along with – like it or not."**

Frisk nodded and wiped their tears off.

Sans closed his eyes and sighed. **"kid – before we go on – pretty sure you forgot something pretty important."**

Something important? What… what was he talking about?

The child started to panic, fervently cramming their memory to find the missing piece.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Sans, I don't…" they stammered, when they felt a light weight put on top of their head. They frowned, reached for it, and held it in front of their eyes.

It was a hotdog. A genuine hotdog, not a water sausage in a bun – like you would normally get from the skeleton.

 **"you haven't eaten anything for quite some time now. as far as i know,"** Sans said and shrugged, **"t's hard to make plans if your brain is deprived of nutrients."**

Frisk felt their stomach grumble and bit into the food without a second thought. The taste was… neutral. Almost like paper. But it still filled them up a little, the Monster food doing its magic. They finished it quickly and glanced up at Sans, uncertain what to say or do.

Why was he being so nice all of a sudden? Or… at least nice for Sans's standards. He had never been the most openly caring person.

 _Suspicious_.

No. That wasn't it.

 _It kind of is, though_.

"Thank you, Sans," the child murmured awkwardly.

The skeleton's grin nudged up a little, as he offered his hand to them. The kid took it, almost waiting for a whoopee-cushion fart-noise. But nothing happened. Something about that saddened Frisk. As if him playing pranks was a sign of his friendship that wasn't open to them anymore.

 _Figures._

 **"by the way,"** the skeleton said while pulling them up, **"your clothes-pun from before? wasn't god-awful."** He squinted to the side, grinning. **"well, it** _ **was**_ **… but that's kinda the point."**

Frisk's heart skipped a beat. Did… did that mean that he was forgiving them? It had to, right?

The child broke into tears again and plunged forward, aiming to hug the skeleton.

But before their fingers reached him, they felt a familiar tug at their insides, launching them into the opposite direction – and setting them down a small distance from Sans.

 **"whoa there, bucko. don't get this the wrong way,"** he said calmly. The invisible force keeping Frisk away from him disappeared, leaving the child standing in place. Sans frowned. **"i'm just working with what i have here. sorry, kid, but hugs ain't happening any time soon."**

And he _meant_ it. Frisk bit their tongue out of embarrassment – and to counter the wave of crushed hope that was threatening to roll over them. It had been stupid of them to assume anything else, hadn't it?

They tried to give him a smile, ending up with a sad, distorted grimace.

"Right. I'm sorry, Sans."

The skeleton stopped, as if he wanted to return something – but shook his head.

 **"welp. tori and the wizard should be coming back by now. let's meet them half-way."**

* * *

Harry

"Are you sure about this, Mr. Dresden? Is there no way I could-"

"I _am_ sure, Toriel," I replied, for what felt like the hundredth time. "I can't take both of you with me. With Asgore gone, you'll have to take charge here."

It had been two days since the whole chaos around Chara had happened. In the end, even though Mouse and the Monsters' dogs had given it their all, we hadn't been able to find neither Mandy nor that demonic little brat. By now, I was convinced that Chara had decided to stick with the girl – after all, even though they wouldn't be able to immediately skip all the obstacles to get to control her soul, I doubted that it would take them long to overcome the mental barriers around it. Mandy was just a child – if Chara really wanted to, they could have probably already taken over by now.

Mrs. Harris had been inconsolable after she found out that Mandy had vanished under her supervision – and that the girl was gone for good, apparently. Even though Corbyn came out shortly after the teacher's breakdown, saying that he had been the one who had helped Mandy escape, the woman took a long while to recover. When Toriel asked Corbyn why he had aided Mandy with her escape, the part-Asian boy told those present that it had been Mandy's best chance to get away from her parents. Hearing that, Mrs. Harris had paled even more and had muttered something about CPS not being any help. I didn't enquire any further. Even though the thought of someone mistreating a child – especially their own – made me convulse in anger, there was nothing I could do about it anymore, at least not at that moment; plus, I wanted to prevent Toriel from getting more enraged than she already had up to that point.

Having witnessed the effects of the human attack on the camp (even though most of them hadn't been conscious at the time of the assault), Toriel and Asgore decided to postpone a full-on confrontation with the humans around them; We all knew they wouldn't be able to hide forever, but the royal couple feared that if they came out now they would be always connected to the disappearance of several children. Safe to say – many of the Monsters, Undyne included – didn't take that decision very well. Honestly, I was a little relieved. The Monsters just openly walking into the next city and revealing themselves to humanity would have set off a huge, irreversible chain-reaction – and I _really_ didn't want to be the only wizard having to deal with the repercussions. Despite numerous complaints, the Monsters took down their tents and their belongings in record time and moved it further back to the evacuation hideout, leaving no trace of their camp-settlement.

We tried to keep the number of humans that knew about them to a bare minimum. Conveniently enough, the hosts we had freed in the camp were slipping in and out of consciousness while in a state of absolute confusion. Murphy and Michael made sure that another search group found them at the former camping site the next day. It was pretty safe to say that they would either be long-term mentally damaged in some ways, or at least ascribe what they had seen on the mountain to fever-dreams. It appeared as if the Parasites had been a lot more destructive to their psyche during the time-span of Chara's imprisonment than during Chara's control over them.

I tried my best not to blame myself for that. And failed miserably. After all, I had been the one to sever Chara's leash on their pets.

However, because of it, aside from my "Chicago group", Mrs. Harris and Clark Davis, Amy's mother was the only other adult who knew about the Monsters – and was on the best way to tolerating them, mostly thanks to Amy's ever-growing attachment to Papyrus.

Davis had long since grown accustomed to some of the Monsters; funnily enough, the ranger hit it off the best with Undyne. Apparently the fish-woman wasn't one to hold a grudge for gunshot wounds for long. And Mrs. Harris had found a candid soul in Toriel. She still wasn't good at dealing with most of the strange creatures around her, but the goat-queen seemed to be an exception for some reason.

All three of them agreed that now was the worst possible moment for the Monsters to come out – and promised to keep it a secret between them, before they wandered down the mountain the next day, taking the children with them. As for the children themselves – they did promise the same thing. Even Sam, who had woken up in the evacuation caves, and immediately went on to throwing insults at the Monsters next to him, had eventually accepted their non-threatening nature. Not that I trusted much in the capability of a kid that age to keep a secret; but them being children was both a disadvantage and an asset. I doubted anyone that could pose a threat would actually believe them. Most adults would ascribe their descriptions to wild imaginations, mixed with fear from roaming around alone on the mountains for so long.

Which left us with only one person that could potentially rally up enough paranoid people to search Mt. Elbert – and that was the one guy who had bailed when the shooting at the camp had started. He hadn't turned up so far, though. And the only thing he should have seen was the camp itself, without any Monsters – at least as far as we knew. Along with him, the two dead children Chara had used as incubators were nowhere to be found either.

The day after the brawl, I had sent Murphy and Michael home – both of them had work to do the next day, and there wasn't much they could help with anyways. Molly convinced me to let her stay with the Monsters. She had guessed that a confrontation with the Council was imminent – and argued that she could use the time to give those who would need it all information that was likely to give them an advantage.

After that, I had immediately left for the town and acquired some of Mandy's hair – with the help of Mrs. Harris, who was eager to use any opportunity to get her student back. Neither of the girl's parents were at home, so it was relatively easy to get the hair – however, using it for tracking turned out to be a futile attempt. Somehow, Mandy – or Chara, rather – had managed to increase their distance to the mountain and Mandy's hometown so much that I couldn't reach the girl through thaumaturgy anymore. At that point, I had to admit to myself that the girl was lost.

I used the rest of that day to contact the Council – and was lucky enough to get former Warden captain Luccio on the receiving end. I spared her the specifics – only telling her that I had stumbled over the tiny shambles of a badly broken Sixth Law, that I knew who had broken it – and that I had incidentally found a whole new magical species while I had been at it.

At first, she thought I had the gall to be joking – as if I would _ever_ joke about something that could mean my death sentence if pinned on me. Wasn't my style _at all_. After I kept insisting on my story, she cursed in Italian and asked me what I thought to be the best way to go on. I suggested having the Council meet at her Warden boot camp as soon as possible – assuring her that I would bring the time manipulator and two representatives of that new species with me.

And now, I was back at the mountain, next to the evacuation caves – still sick, but slowly getting better – and was packing my stuff, all the while trying to convince Toriel that she wasn't going to be part of the representation group. The rest of the monsters were off somewhere, some outside the caverns, trying to enjoy the sunny hours; others – mostly the kids – playing hide-and-seek within the tunnels. The only ones that sat next to us were Mouse, and, placed on top of a big stone, Frisk: They were listening silently.

The goat-woman mostly took issue with the kid having to come with me. I had told her the child was an essential part of explaining the Monsters' breakout, since they had played such a big role in it. Nothing else.

Frisk stared at me condemningly.

Yes, I know. I wasn't proud of it either.

To be fair, I actually had considered not telling the Council about the kid breaking the Sixth Law. Unfortunately, the remnants of that magic were still around – albeit sparsely – and had slowed down their deterioration state immensely, almost like they had something akin to nuclear half-life. And I knew that the Council would at some point send someone to examine the mountain and its ley-lines. Better I told them now than keeping it secret and setting both the kid and me up for a nice day with the execution process.

Toriel seemed to sense that her beloved child wasn't going to have a simple story time and then just walk right back to her and her butterscotch-cinnamon pies – but instead was going to leap into a sea filled with sharks. And… very possibly might not return to her. I had made sure not to let Molly tell her anything, but you can't fool a mother's intuition when it comes to the endangerment of their children.

"Mr. Dresden, you… you are taking Sans with you as well, are you not? He should be able to retell Frisk's adventures just fine. He had promised me to watch over them and protect them on their way out, after all." She pleaded; her eyes big, round and innocent. It hurt.

I sighed. "Sorry. The Council wants to meet Frisk. There's not much I can do about it."

The child winced and did their best at hiding their fear. Molly must have had been thorough in her depictions.

Sorry, kid.

Toriel fidgeted her thumbs for a while, and then visibly gave up.

"Very well. It pains me to let my child go so soon again, but… at least they have Sans and you, Mr. Dresden. I am glad they have sensible, trustworthy people at their side."

Just shoot me already.


	23. Chapter 23 - Uncertain Future

**Chapter 23: Uncertain Future**

Frisk

Mr. Dresden was sitting in the front seat, driving towards their destination: The training camp for Wardens – more or less the wizard police, as Frisk had understood from Molly's explanations. The more miles they left behind them, the more the child wanted the old vehicle to break down right on the street, so that the group wouldn't ever arrive. As far as the condition of the car was concerned, that wish didn't even seem that far-fetched.

But it kept pulling forward, and eventually, they had to give up and face it: they were going to have to face the wizards' trial.

Frisk glanced at the two Monsters accompanying them – Asgore, who sat on his seat stiffly and hunched over (whether it was out of anxiety or lack of space in the small car, they didn't know); and Sans, placed on the passenger's seat, dozing off every other minute. With the four of them seated, Mr. Dresden's dog hadn't had enough space anymore, so he had to stay back with Molly and the Monsters.

The child felt their stomach rumble nervously and put a hand on it to try and calm it down.

"Don't pull such a face," the wizard said, trying to sound encouraging. He grimaced at them through his rearview mirror. "The Council isn't going to come over for the next four days, so the only people you're going to meet today are a couple young Wardens and Captain Anastasia Luccio. She's a nice lady, don't worry."

Frisk swallowed and tried to smile back bravely.

"If… if you say so, Mr. Dresden." Their smile broke. A massive paw patted their back, and they looked up, meeting Asgore's gaze.

"Do not worry so much, Frisk. I am sure everything will turn out fine."

Frisk nodded weakly. They had told Asgore about the resets just before they had entered the car – leaving out the second-to-last run – and had tried to explain their initial reasoning for setting time back. The king didn't completely understand what they were talking about. He did, however, understand the consequences after they had spelled it out for him. The king's first reaction had been denial, concern. He had tried to persuade the wizard to leave the child in the camp, but eventually had to accept that there was no other way. He had a long talk with Sans afterwards, but Frisk didn't know what it was about. They _had_ told him that Sans knew all along – maybe the king had even reprimanded his judge for not informing him sooner.

The child curled up on their seat.

Asgore sighed. "Toriel is going to have my head. Golly, I should just hand it over to her," he muttered, gently stroking Frisk's back.

The wizard studied the kid for a while, his expression a bit lost.

"Tell you what, Frisk – if you need a pee-break, you can switch places with Sans afterwards and sit at the front… if you want to. He's a lousy co-driver," he added, glancing at the napping skeleton.

 **"heh,"** Sans replied, not bothering to open his eyes. **"give me a** _ **brake**_ **, i'm just** _ **tire-**_ **d."**

The wizard snorted.

"I don't need a pee-break," Frisk scoffed, crossing their arms. "I've been eating nothing but Monster food for… for some time now. That food doesn't need to… it doesn't… come out again," they finished their sentence, slightly blushing.

The look of surprise on Mr. Dresden's face was more expressive than any other face Frisk had seen him put on ever since they had met him. Eventually, the tall man shook his head and went back to focusing on the road.

"That… explains some things."

And with that short exchange of universal wisdom, the group went back to silence.

They stopped on a road in the middle of a forest, parking the old car at the side.

"We're about a third a mile away," Mr. Dresden said as he exited the vehicle and stretched his limbs in relief – the man was far too tall for the Subaru. "We'll walk the rest. Don't want to make this rust bucket remember it has some electric circuits to fail due to this much magic all in one place. Also, we'll have to pass the security. Less suspicious if we're on foot." He pondered about it for a while. "Easier targets, too."

Asgore followed the wizard with a compliant nod. When he got out of the car, the whole bodywork rose up a few inches, creaking horribly in the process. The Monster King rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

"I guess I was a bit heavy." He glanced inside the vehicle, frowning. "Frisk, why don't you come out? You… you are very pale, my child. The fresh air can have marvelous effects, I promise you."

The child nodded slowly and crawled away from their seat, into the king's outstretched arms. Asgore picked them up and put them atop his shoulders.

"There you go!" He hummed optimistically. "I sure hope it is not too high up for you?"

Frisk couldn't help but smile, and nodded. They looked back to the vehicle. Sans was still dozing off inside.

"Sans, I'm not Papyrus. I am _not_ going to carry you around," the wizard commented from further ahead. "Get out of the car already, you lazybones!"

Sans opened one of his eyes and chuckled. **"heh. and i thought we left paps at the camp. i could've sworn i heard his nagging just now."** He shrugged and vanished, reappearing next to the wizard.

 **"all set and ready to walk into the lion's den. just a bunch of unpredictable magical weirdos that could be set off at any time. nothing to worry about."**

"Well, aren't you the enthusiast," the wizard said sardonically.

 **"i can barely hold myself back,"** Sans agreed.

They started following the twisting road, leading around old evergreens, up a flat rise. The evening sun broke through the forest's crown-barrier and let the warm, orange light shine on the old, scruffy path. It had been a long time since the way had been used. Patches of dark moss were covering parts of the tar; other parts had cracked completely under the relentless influence of nature.

A gentle, fresh breeze let the treetops sway from side to side. But Frisk couldn't relax.

Other than the adults' footsteps, there was no sound. No birds, they realized. Only wind.

Wild animals just know when to stay away from places.

When the street came to a straight, narrowing path, the child spotted the dreaded wizard camp's tents in the distance – there were about five of them, placed closely to each other in a military fashion, every tent potentially able to hold at least ten people. From Asgore's shoulders, they detected people moving around the camp, purposeful, directed.

It was then that they heard a deep, male voice coming from the side, out of the forest.

"You're late, Dresden."

The tone of the voice wasn't friendly or welcoming at all. Instead, it sounded almost… hostile.

Mr. Dresden came to a sudden halt and groaned, turning towards the spot where the voice had come from.

"You've got to be kidding me," he grumbled.

The man the voice belonged to stepped into their field of vision. He was tall – not quite as tall as Dresden, but tall enough – and broad-shouldered, maybe around 50 years old. He was wearing a long black coat, dark pants and jacket, and in a sheath hooked on his belt, there was…

A sword.

Frisk couldn't help but shiver. They had a feeling that this sword wasn't like Michael's. This one wasn't made to save. It was made to kill. And this man obviously didn't like Mr. Dresden. At all.

"Morgan," Mr. Dresden muttered, his posture – not quite stiff, but resolute.

"You look like shit, Dresden," Morgan greeted him coldly.

The wizard snorted. "I'm sick. What's _your_ excuse?"

Frisk had a feeling that it probably wasn't the best idea to provoke this man. And yet, Mr. Dresden seemed like he couldn't hold himself back.

Luckily, Mr. Morgan ignored the tall man's retort and instead eyed every single one of the wizard's unique company. When his gaze stopped at Frisk, the child shuddered and clang tightly to Asgore's head.

"Captain Luccio told me about your call. I don't see a new species, just a child and an outlandish fairy. I do, however…" His cold eyes narrowed, wandering back to Sans. "… see a subject of necromancy."

"Master wizard, if I may," Asgore chimed in and stepped up next to Mr. Dresden and Sans, drawing Mr. Morgan's attention to him. "This skeleton is in no way the product of necromancy. He belongs to our species, just as Mr. Dresden claims. I assure you, even though we might look quite diverse, we are essentially all the same."

Mr. Morgan squinted at the four of them.

 **"i'll be** _ **bald**_ **and assume that this isn't the nice lady you told us about?"** Sans addressed Mr. Dresden. Upon hearing his voice, Mr. Morgan eyebrows shot up, and he pointed at the skeleton.

"You! How do you walk and speak?"

Out of the corner of their eye, Frisk saw Sans's grin widen.

" **i dunno, how do you?"**

"Morgan," Mr. Dresden chimed back in, hopefully to try and safe the situation from escalating. "Do you honestly think I would break a Law _just_ to summon something that annoys you?"

The other wizard's grim face grew even more sinister.

"Yes."

Mr. Dresden stared at him in disbelief.

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but I'm not as obsessed with you as you are with me."

So much for de-escalation.

Mr. Morgan took a deep breath, as a parent would when trying to keep their composure around a bratty child.

"Your juvenile provocations aside, Dresden: You informed Luccio of a practitioner who broke the Sixth Law. Where is that person?"

Frisk felt their stomach turn into a giant knot and gripped the king's horns tighter, before speaking up.

"Th-that's me, Mr. Morgan. But I-I'm not really a-"

They gulped audibly when the wizard's cold, hard eyes fixated on them for a moment; and exhaled in relief, when his focus went back to Mr. Dresden.

"Do you think this is funny?" He growled, his voice filled to the brim with restrained fury.

"I think you are many things, Morgan," the tall man replied, just as antagonistic. "But rest assured, 'funny' is not one of them." He exhaled, frustrated. "And as always, it's a little more complicated than you think. Where _is_ Ana- Captain Luccio, by the way?"

As it turned out, Ms. Anastasia Luccio had been sent to another place by Mr. Morgan, who proved to be Mr. Dresden's boss. With the way the two of them interacted, Frisk would never have guessed, hadn't it been for Mr. Morgan shouting that fact at the other wizard after some more provocation. Frisk, Sans and Asgore unanimously decided to stay out of their quarrel. The two men definitely had bad blood between them, which seemed to go far back. No need to complicate matters further and get in between the frontlines.

Eventually, the wizards managed to stop bickering at each other and the tension subsided enough for Mr. Morgan to allow them inside the camp – under his strict supervision.

As soon as they entered the site, Frisk grew very aware of the stares the young wizards present directed at their group. Much to the child's relief, the small crowd wasn't very interested in them and mainly focused on the two monsters instead. However – many were also staring at Mr. Dresden, as he tried his best to explain the situation to Mr. Morgan while walking towards what looked like the main tent. The tall wizard either didn't notice the stares and the excited whispering among the spectators, or he didn't mind them. Frisk furrowed their brows and eyed their magic companion's back with new-found mystification.

Was Mr. Dresden such a famous figure in the wizarding world?

But why?

And… was that a good or a bad thing?

They felt something brush their ankle and looked down from Asgore's shoulders at Sans.

He winked at them; an encouraging gesture, coming from him.

Frisk bit their lower lip, even more nervous now. They knew the skeleton well enough to see that he was just as – maybe even more – anxious as _they_ were.

The child pressed their forehead against Asgore's hair, hiding their face.

They didn't like this place.

Hopefully these four days would be over quickly.

* * *

Harry

The time until the trial went by nerve-rackingly slowly. And, out of all of us, Asgore was the first one to put that time to good use. He approached the young Wardens of the boot camp whenever the opportunity arose – and obviously tried to make a good first impression. While distantly polite, he showed no uneasiness during the exchanges – and I caught him laughing heartily with some of the kids after the first few hours. It was definitely a different behavior from what he had ever shown towards me. I wasn't sure if that was because I was older than the trainees here, as he wasn't as overtly friendly to Morgan either, or if that was just due to my knowing more about him and his people. Whatever it was, it led to him preparing dinner (with magical Monster tea to spare) for the small training camp on the second evening.

Encouraged by the king's conduct, Frisk initially followed Asgore around and tried their best to strike up a conversation with anyone they encountered. However, word had spread that they were the one the upcoming trial was for, so aside from some suspicious and some pitying glances, none of the trainee wizards opened up to the child as much as they did to the Monster King. The kid eventually gave in and ended up staying with me most of the time. They sat somewhere close, not saying a word – while I kept to myself, brushing up on my lackluster Latin skills. It was either that, or they went into the extra tent the trainees had pitched up.

The first two days, Sans didn't stray too far from Morgan – keeping an eye-socket on the most obvious threat, I assumed. I didn't stroll along, neither did I tell him to stop it – I trusted the skeleton's common sense enough to doubt that he would do or say anything that could aggravate the Warden's field commander. In time, Morgan's distrustful demeanor around the pun-master dropped to a healthy level – simultaneously, he started regarding him with a certain annoyance. Sans seemed satisfied – at least he immediately went over to the borrowed tent. I could only guess that he had gone on to sleep until the day of the trial. At least he didn't show up outside much from the third day on.

And then, finally, Wednesday morning broke.

The Wardens and the new arrivals had been summoned to the center of the camp, while I was told to wait in the main tent with my "guests". No doubt it was the Merlin's doing – putting me on the spot, denying me the common duties that the Warden's usually had – and, by that, subtly denying me the privileges of the position altogether. I had been prepared for the old man to act out on his blatant disdain towards me – but I really would have liked to know which of the Senior Council's members were even present.

When Morgan returned, he held a piece of black cloth, handed it over to me and nodded at Frisk. I was tempted to tell him where he could stick that thing, but I knew – not following protocol would only put me at a disadvantage. And Morgan wouldn't give me the same leniency Ramirez had, back at Molly's trial.

So I turned over to the kid. Frisk swallowed heavily, but they didn't hesitate for one second before they draped the cloth over their head. Neither Asgore nor Sans gave a comment, but their expressions spoke for themselves. The king protectively pulled the child closer to him, shielding Frisk's back with his massive body, reassuring them.

Morgan accompanied us to the camp's focal point and stepped aside as we were patted down for any weapons. That led to an involuntarily comic scene when the Warden inspecting Sans started pulling out hotdog buns from the skeleton's pocket – and kept on pulling out more and more. Way more than that jacket should have been able to hold. Sans held still and kept a relaxed grin while the young Warden grew desperate with each further bun that appeared. After what I counted as thirty pieces of bread, the Warden reached into Sans's pocket once more and the relief was evident when he didn't receive another one.

 **"** _ **bun**_ **appetite,"** Sans remarked, then went on to follow Asgore and Frisk. The Monster King raised an eyebrow, but the skeleton shrugged and stepped in front of them, close to both the king and the kid.

I couldn't help but feel that he was planning something.

Like last time in Chicago, a dozen Wardens stood in a loose circle, surrounded by spectating wizards, when we approached them. Morgan passed the four of us and joined the Merlin's side, hand on his sword's hilt.

The old wizard was alone. No other Senior Council members present. Not even the Gatekeeper was around.

Well, damn. Off to a shit start.

"Close the circle," the Merlin ordered per protocol, and the loose circle of people around us shrunk. Frisk was shivering visibly, the cloth on their head shaking with them. Asgore kept quiet, but firmly gripped the child's shoulders as a form of encouragement. Sans openly stared at the Merlin – he was _checking_ him, I understood after a moment of pondering. Whatever the skeleton saw, it made him step even closer to the other two, his expression unreadable.

"Warden Dresden," the Merlin said in Latin, his otherwise neutral voice filled with a certain snark. "You fulfil your new duties with unexpected vigor, given your personal history."

"Well," I responded, gritting my teeth, "I just think that there ought to be someone that makes sure this whole process is kept fair."

A condescending smile flashed across the Merlin's face, and I could only guess that my remark hadn't come out quite as good as I had wanted it to. Goddamn Latin.

"Excuse the interruption," Asgore suddenly chimed in, "but I am afraid I do not know the language you are conversing in."

Before I could use this as a springboard to using English like last time, the Merlin nodded and lifted a hand to stop me from opening my mouth.

"We considered as much, King Asgore. You will be provided with a translator."

One of the older Wardens standing to the side stepped up next to the Monster King, his expression unmoving.

His knowing Asgore's name came as a surprise, but I kept myself from looking shocked. One of the Wardens probably told him before we arrived. The more urgent problem was that we would have to continue the trial in Latin, something I had very much dreaded. I had gotten better, sure, but nowhere good enough to defend Frisk fluently. Especially with the surrounding facts being the way they were.

"Let us proceed," the Merlin said, locking eyes with me but for a second. "Warden Dresden, introduce us to your guests."

I gritted my teeth and thought of the right words for a while – thank you, Romans, for speaking a language with six grammatical cases – and decided to keep it as short as possible.

"Before you stand two representatives of the Monster kind – their king, Asgore, and their judge, Sans. Their situation and their history are unique. They wish to state their case and form neutral to friendly relations with our Council."

Merlin's translator repeated my words in English. If the translation was anything to go by, then I hadn't messed up the sentences so far. Sans's eye-sockets squinted a little when he heard what I had introduced him as, but he didn't comment on it. I had figured throwing his judge-status in the ring would have a better effect than calling him the local hotdog-vendor.

Or human-capturing sentry, for that matter. I still wasn't quite sure what to tell the Council about that part. They knew close to nothing about the Monsters for now. I'd have to find a way to ease them into a favorable position. So – best not mention much about the soul-business for now.

"And the child?" The Merlin probed.

Frisk flinched under their cloth when the translator's words got through.

I took a deep breath.

"The child's name is Frisk." I pondered a little before talking about the kid as a boy. 'Male' was the go-to standard in Latin anyways. "He's come here out of his own volition to face this trial."

The Merlin's eyes narrowed a little, before a sly smile crept on his face. He nodded at the translator.

"Remove the hood from the child's head," he said – and the translator complied.

Frisk jerked away from the sudden touch and then blinked a few times to get used to daylight again. They didn't cry – but they looked like they were on the brink of collapsing from fear. Their eyes wandered from me to Morgan, around the other Wardens – and finally got stuck on the Merlin. The old wizard's face was almost friendly. Not a good sign.

"Young child, do you understand why you are here today?" The Merlin asked. I frowned. This was not protocol… was it?

Frisk nodded when they heard the English translation and glanced at me timidly before answering.

"Y-yes, Mister Merlin. I… I broke a wizard law, and that's a crime."

Their voice was a few pitches higher than usual, and I had a hard time not to step between them and the Merlin to protect them. Sure, the kid had caused me and Sans many headaches – to put it mildly – but at the end of the day, they were still so goddamn _young_ , even if it was easy to forget that sometimes. They shouldn't have to be going through this.

The Merlin raised a brow. "Young child, do you understand the consequences these charges can entail?"

Frisk swallowed, glanced at me for some sort of support I couldn't give and then cleared their throat multiple times before speaking to the Merlin again.

"You will… kill me, right?"

Some of the surrounding wizards started exchanging uncertain looks with each other once the words had left the small kid's mouth. I could only guess that someone _this_ young (and seemingly innocent) had never been on trial before – and the prospect of having to witness child murder was discomforting to many of the people present.

 _Good_. This would make it harder on the Merlin.

… it actually made his behavior all the more puzzling.

"Frisk," the Merlin said slowly, "I have reason to doubt that a child your age would be able to go against the Law you are accused of breaking. Be sure that you do not let yourself be pressured into this situation by someone else."

And with that, he gave me a pointed look, while the translator went on to do his job. Hearing the words in English again, I realized: Yes, I had gotten that right.

I couldn't stop myself. My jaw dropped several inches, before my anger rose up to new levels. I threw Latin out of the window and started shouting in good old English.

"Are you seriously implying that-"

Sans elbowed my side and stopped me from going any further. I glared down at him for just a second, avoiding a soulgaze – but the pause was long enough for the Merlin to react to my outburst.

"I fail to remember addressing you, Warden Dresden," he declared haughtily.

Sans had just saved me from getting defensive and making me look suspicious. But stars and stones, this couldn't be happening right now. Did that old bastard actually think that I would break a Law and then push it on a little kid? Because that was what I got from that. And it made me furious.

Frisk, meanwhile, shook their head, more resilient now. They were still trembling like a leaf, but they stood their ground and stared at the Merlin, determined.

"No, Mister Merlin. Nobody is forcing me to admit to something I didn't do. I want to be here," they said. Then, after giving it a short thought, they added: "Well, I don't really want to be here. But I have to face the consequences for what I've done."

Their tiny hands were clenched into fists, but their eyes didn't waver.

"Very well," the Merlin said – and met the kid's eyes. Long enough.

When Frisk was pulled into the soulgaze, they barely had the time to suck their breath in in surprise.

 **"what's going on?"** Sans glanced at the kid skeptically. But before I could answer, Frisk stumbled backwards against Asgore's front. Their knees gave way and they would have certainly dropped to the ground if the Monster King hadn't caught them and held them up.

Cold sweat ran down the kid's face, and a small whimper escaped them with each breath. Every tone struck my insides – knowing that I had been the one to bring Frisk here. A soulgaze is one of the most intense sensations that can happen to you – one of the ones I had the last years made the person that gazed my soul fall unconscious. Considering that, Frisk took it remarkably well.

Sans exchanged a meaningful glance with Asgore. The king shook his head and the skeleton leant back at the quarterback-ibex, bumping both into him and into Frisk. It looked a bit weird, them huddling together so closely. Last time I checked, Sans wasn't the most touchy-feely guy, so… was he seriously just too lazy to stand upright?

Somehow, I couldn't believe that.

Sans met my gaze for a second and shrugged apologetically, again bumping into both the people he was leaning onto – not-so-subtly now.

"No signs of mind control," the Merlin stated, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "However – no signs of magic affinity either." His voice dropped to a slightly noticeable growl when he turned back to me. "This child is no practitioner, Warden Dresden. And yet, they are neither lying about their guilt, nor do they misunderstand why they are here. Explain yourself."

I could've almost laughed. But I restrained myself.

"This is the case I wanted to make, so thank you very much, _honored_ Merlin. However, for this to be explained thoroughly, I fear the Latin vocabulary is more than insufficient." I allowed myself a smug grin. "It includes dual dimensions," I added in English. "A bit too advanced for the times of Ancient Rome."

 **"can i?"** Sans offered suddenly. I blinked, a little thrown out of balance by his unusual proactivity. The skeleton didn't stop leaning against Frisk and Asgore, but now had the balk of attention on him. He grinned at my barely hidden confusion. **"what can i say, i know one or two things about m-theory."** His eye-lights darted to the right. **"although that's not really what that was. rather than that, we're dealing with the human-magic spin on it here."**

"What _is_ this guy?" Someone from outside the circle blurted out. "Isn't that necromancy? What-"

The Merlin didn't even bother looking to the speaker.

"Silence. This skeleton is not a reanimation. Any fool should be able tell."

Morgan twitched, but other than that, he didn't react to the Merlin's words.

 **"thanks,"** Sans said, offering the fakest grin I had seen him show yet. **"so, master-wizard, would ya let me** _ **spell**_ **this out for your folks?"**

He… he hadn't just...

It was Sans. Of course he had.

Someone outside the circle snorted.

Morgan looked like he had a hard time not putting his palm on his face.

"I suppose your kind's common courtesies differ from ours," the Merlin said, unaffected. "Proceed, Mr. Sans."

The skeleton nodded, still not moving an inch from his spot.

 **"best way to meet someone for an explanation is starting with something they're familiar with. agreed?"**

Part of me was taken aback. The guy was kind of stealing my thunder here, but besides that – where the hell was he going with this?

The Merlin raised a brow, but stayed patient. "Agreed."

 **"then i take it that all of you know a place called the 'nevernever', right?"**

I glanced at him incredulously. How did _he_ know of the Nevernever? I didn't remember telling him about it. Had Molly talked about Arctis Tor when recalling her trial?

"Indeed, we do," the Merlin answered courtly.

 **"good. that means the image of a separate dimension isn't foreign to you,"** Sans continued, remaining in his relaxed posture. " **now imagine the place our people came from as a miniature pocket-version. distorted room, distorted time, magically separated from your world but linked to it. running on a set of lines that can reverse the time there – and only there – if you tap into it."** He looked over his shoulder and shared a quick glance with Frisk. The kid smiled uncomfortably and nodded. **"think of it as flipping a switch and watching the gears of a machine roll backwards, until you flip it back again. no engineering skills required."**

So, the two of them had talked about the resets in more detail these last four days. And hadn't bothered to include me. I wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Are you saying that the child used a mechanic that was already put in place by someone else?" the Merlin inquired.

Sans nodded, then glimpsed at me. **"disqualifies the kid as a magic-user and thus as a criminal in your system… our sources say."**

The Merlin's eyes hardened as they darted over to me too. "I can imagine. Well then," he added, gaze back at the skeleton. "Your analogy requires an engineer. Who was the one to set it up?

Sans's eye-lights dimmed. **"far-back ancestors of your chummy, self-righteous circle-jerk here."**

Various indignant gasps escaped the surrounding group.

I frowned. As much as I understood the guy's frustration, this wasn't going to gain him any favors.

"What Sans meant to say-", Asgore jumped in, trying to save the situation, "your ancient forefathers were the ones responsible – may they rest in peace."

The words sounded forced. It must have taken a lot to talk well about the ones that killed so many – and imprisoned the rest – of his people.

The Merlin's expression was blank.

"I believe I understood perfectly well what your judge meant to say, King of the Monsters," the old wizard said regally. "Now, Frisk."

The kid flinched back. They still hadn't gotten over the effects of the soulgaze, but they were aware enough to react to their name.

"As you are no practitioner, you do not fall into our jurisdiction. You may go," the Merlin continued. My head jerked up. This had been a lot easier than expected.

 **"talk about anticlimactic,"** Sans mumbled, but his posture stiffened as he watched the old wizard.

"This trial has brought a fully disparate matter to light," the Merlin declared, staring at the two Monsters in front of him, his eyes narrowing. "Your accusation prompts the question: to what ends did our ancestors do what you claim they did? This pocket-dimension you described – why would they create something like this?"

This was going in a bad direction.

 **"as a prison,"** Sans responded sharply. **"as you already know, given that your informant should have told you everything he found on mt. elbert."**

I twitched. What was he talking about?

The Merlin stared at the skeleton. "Whatever do you mean?"

Asgore cleared his throat, drawing the collective attention to him.

"We are aware of the man you sent to our refuge while Mr. Dresden and we were staying here. Even without our phones working out here – we have our ways of contacting the others."

Frisk nodded weakly, turning their head and burying their face in Asgore's mantle. I blinked at Sans.

Had he… could he… the whole way? What a cheat-move.

So _that_ was what he had actually done the whole time while he had vanished into the tent.

So _that_ was why he was leaning onto the other two.

Emergency exit Sans.

 **"your 'emissary' talked to our queen,"** Sans continued calmly, **"and she told him just enough for you to make your mind up about us. skip this bad joke and tell us what you really think, pal."**

The whispering among the present wizards grew louder. I could see the gears in the Merlin's head grinding for a good way to react to this – but I couldn't really focus. Why had none of the three bothered to put me in the picture? And yes, I meant all _three_ of them. Frisk wasn't surprised by any of this. They had known.

… was that why they had been sitting around while I had been busy studying up on that useless dead language? To keep an eye out so I wouldn't notice?

"We will pass over the pleasantries, if you so desire," the Merlin acceded. "As you pointed out, I was informed that your kind used to be at war with our forefathers until you were ultimately sealed into the dimensional prison. I am cognizant of the fact that _you_ are still the very same leader the Monsters had before their imprisonment, King Asgore. Suffice to say, this puts your people and the Council at odds."

Part of me was still hung up on the secrets the three of them had kept from me, but nevertheless, I was going to put in the work.

"They are _not_ hostile, Merlin," I insisted. "They're willing to make peace."

A scowl spread over the Merlin's face – otherwise completely ignoring me. "As for possible reasons for this war – the reports mentioned your ability to consume human souls and utilize those to grow more powerful."

The shock of the surrounding wizards was evident. Some even took a few steps back, shielding their bodies with their arms. Morgan didn't let himself slip up as much - but anything else would have surprised me.

"I would like to see this practice myself before I make a decision on how to continue," the Merlin said gravely – squinting over at me. "Seeing as Warden Dresden is so trusting of your benevolent nature, I am sure he is eager to volunteer."

This was supposed to frighten me, to make me distance myself from them. It was my _soul_ after all, surely not even I, the Council's raging lunatic, would trust any of them with something as essential as that.

I could've almost laughed. It showed, enough for his smug smile to vanish from his face.

"Been there, done that," I drawled and watched with some satisfaction how his –and Morgan's – eyebrows climbed up.

 **"there you go,"** Sans said. I jerked around. A light, glowing in a bright red, floated just above his phalanges. It was a soul – that much, I recognized by now. But it wasn't _mine_.

It was Frisk's. Asgore was cradling the child's body in his massive arms and eyed their soul in Sans's hands with a mix of guilt and concern.

Sans pulled his hands apart and the light floated back into Frisk's body. Shortly after, the child shifted, extended their arms and wrapped them around Asgore's neck, glancing back at the Merlin defiantly. Of course, they had handed it over voluntarily. It didn't come as a surprise, but still – if this had any chance of ending positively, I'd have to have a talk with the kid to not just hand out their soul every other minute.

"It comes to you this easily," the Merlin said, his tone filled with suspicion.

"Only if the soul's owner is willing," Asgore argued.

 **"or dead,"** Sans supplied, **"or kept still."**

Asgore eyed his judge apprehensively, as did the Merlin. By now, I was sure the skeleton was doing this on purpose. He was setting this up to fail. There was no other explanation for it.

The Merlin's gaze had become cold.

"Your people evidently have the motive and the means necessary to pose a threat to us," he said formally. "I would rather not give you the opportunity."

I paced in between the old wizard and Frisk and the Monsters.

"Are you kidding me?! You want to fight… you want to _kill_ these people? That would start a war!"

"You are in no position to judge, Warden Dresden," the Merlin snarled. "Take a walk."

"They came here for peace! They're _not_ a threat! Hell, they're about five hundred people, children included. They wouldn't be able to fight, even if they wanted to."

The Merlin's expression didn't waver.

"Precisely."

That word hit me like a brick. I had always known that he was a paranoid, unfair, old fart, but this…

" **i guess chara did have a point,"** Sans said. Both Asgore and Frisk flinched at his words.

The old wizard met my eyes, until I pulled away. A soulgaze was the last thing I wanted now.

"They already _were_ at war with us and locked up for millennia, Warden Dresden," he said. "You cannot be so naïve as to believe that they would not harbor a personal vendetta against us – and only us. Of course they come and offer peace in their current state. I will not endanger the whole White Council by giving them enough time to grow in numbers until they are a genuine threat. Our situation is dire enough as it is. Due to _your_ actions, I might add."

I felt the veins on my neck pumping. Of course he would bring _that_ up now. Now that _he_ was the one prompting a war-like scenario – although I knew that it wouldn't be a war as much as it would be a blatant genocide – he tried to deflect the blame. That slimy, old bastard.

"Contrary to what you certainly like to imply, Warden Dresden," the Merlin spat, "I do _not_ take enjoyment out of this. However, my position demands for me to prioritize our survival." He dismissed me, focusing on Asgore instead. "I am sure at least _you_ do understand this."

The Monster King's expression grew tired – and for once, I could see the millennia of time he had lived through. But the moment passed, and his look was replaced by one of contemplation – and a strange calmness. Once again, I was reluctantly impressed. Patience with the Merlin wasn't my strong suit.

Not that I tried in the first place.

Sure, I didn't know most of the Monsters, it wasn't any personal connections that made me want to blast a good old ball of fire into the Merlin's face – but rather the prospect of hundreds of (more or less) innocent people being slaughtered because of the old man's paranoia. Especially now that those people relied on me.

That was also why a small part of me was sure he was partly doing this just to spite _me._ Sure, maybe that was paranoid as well. But it sure felt like it.

Asgore raised his head – making the people around him aware of just how tall he really was – and answered.

"Believe me, I do understand. I too was forced to make hard decisions during the time of our imprisonment." He glanced at me. He was talking about the six humans he had killed – or had at least decreed to have killed. "Decisions I have come to regret, actions I cannot take back – but all of them made and done with the best of my people in mind." His voice became stronger, unwavering. "And this is precisely why I will not let my judgement be swayed by fear, anger or foolish pride. I will put forth trust as much as needed. I will be patient and forgiving. I will beg if I have to."

He put Frisk on the ground, making sure the kid could stand before letting go – and stretched his right arm to the side. Sans took Frisk by the shoulder and stepped aside.

"Do not be alarmed," Asgore said – just as he conjured up a giant, red-glowing trident. The weapon was at least nine and a half feet long and beamed with power.

The bystanders' reaction was immediate. Shocked gasps erupted, hands were raised; One very eager Warden-trainee blurted out a fire-spell that I could barely deflect in time.

"Cease!" The Merlin's voice echoed over the whole site, his voice magically enhanced – and, as a result, making my ears ring.

I hate the man, but I have to give credit where credit is due. He had a tight grasp on (most of) the members of the Council. One second to another, the silent tension was back.

Asgore nodded at the old wizard with a hint of appreciation.

"As I understand it, your decision to… remove… our kind is mainly driven by the notion that we plan on taking revenge for our incarceration the moment we have regained enough strength to do so. And I presume that our ability to take human's souls and enhance our powers that way make you feel uneasy," he said and put his hand forward, offering the trident to the Merlin. The old wizard nodded at Morgan, who stepped up and took the weapon's shaft. Upon touching the trident, Morgan's eyes widened in shock. My jaw hardened. I could guess what he was thinking.

"If this is all that stands in the way of a peaceful relationship between my people and yours," Asgore continued, "then I will make sure to show you that these worries are unnecessary. I will extend my trust and hope we can come to an agreeable solution." He glanced at Morgan, who still stared at the glowing weapon in his hand. "As your Warden should be able to confirm, this weapon of mine is a stable source of magic he could tap into and use as he likes."

I clenched my fists. I had _told_ Asgore and Sans to better keep quiet about that. If you have something that can be immensely useful to others – and only _harm you_ in the process – you don't go waving it in front of them. Someone _will_ want to take advantage of it.

But if I had learned one thing about the Monsters in that short time I had come to know them, then it was that they all – aside from Sans and the old turtle in the Underground – were stupidly trusting.

"I do not know if my wife told your emissary this," Asgore elaborated, "but all of my people are made of mostly magic and a soul that carries the will to control said magic. Just as we can take human souls to amplify our strength – you wizards can channel _our_ magic, our _life force,_ to do your bidding. It was used against us in the previous wars, and we cannot shield ourselves against it. The stronger one of us gets… the more power one of you could actually draw from them." His posture grew tense. "I am telling you this, taking a leap of faith, hoping you take it as a reassurance that we will never attack your kind. It could only end disastrous for us. No matter how great our numbers."

He took a deep breath.

"That being said, I have two more incentives. One further truth – and… a genuine offer."

Sans and Frisk jolted. The skeleton's light pupils died out on the spot, while the kid's eyes widened in shock. I almost groaned out of frustration, having no idea where this was going.

Why had none of them let me in on this?

"Asgore, no!" Frisk exclaimed. "We said you couldn't… Mum will-"

"It is part of my duty. I will do everything to keep my people and their hopes and dreams safe. You included, Frisk," Asgore said gravely, turning back to the Merlin, whose suspicion had been replaced by reluctant curiosity – along with a contemplative look that made my stomach churn. The old wizard was planning something at the back of his head and I sure as hell didn't like the look he gave the trident in Morgan's hands.

"First of all, I want you to believe that none of my people harbor any vengeful feelings against your kind," Asgore insisted. "Aside from my wife and one single subject, I am the only one left from the original war. None of my people can even remember the horrors of that time, they do not have any antagonistic feelings against you. As for myself – I had enough time to leave my hatred well behind me." For a moment, he met the Merlin's gaze with a calm, leveled look. "And I am willing to prove it with one of these soulgazes you are capable of. However," he added, his voice dry. "I think you may not find it necessary after you have heard out my offer. I feel you will not refuse it."

Sans shook his head, resigned.

"As far as I am aware, your people are already in the midst of a war; One where the odds seem to be against you." Asgore pitched his offer. I stared at him, eyes narrow. "I present you with my magic, my _soul_ as an added power to your forces. But heed my words, _wizards,_ " he said darkly, as another round of shocked gasps erupted from the people outside the circle. "This only applies to _my_ magic and _my_ soul alone. Believe me when I say that if you try to subjugate _any_ of my subjects – I will _not_ let it slide."

Other than raising an unimpressed eyebrow, the Merlin didn't react to the unconcealed threat.

"So you are willing to ally yourself with the Council? I do not see how that will help your people. The Red Court will see them as their enemy."

Asgore shook his head, and I almost followed suit.

No. That wasn't it.

"I will not go as an ally," Asgore said slowly. "Clearly our standings and our powers are not equal. I will offer myself as a political hostage, if that is it what it takes for you to not sentence my people to death."

The Merlin didn't say anything, but we both knew that that wouldn't matter to the Reds. I was close to blurting that out – but I could guess that it wouldn't have changed Asgore's decision. It would've only strained him. This was already a desperate move on his side. He was trying to get at least the Council to _not_ kill his people off by working with them.

Better the devil you know.

Asgore's expression became unreadable. "My judge and my queen will make sure that my subjects will not hear about this arrangement, so as to prevent outrage. I can promise you that this offer will be of help to you – a soul as old as mine may prove to feel like an endless source of power to your kind."

Everyone's eyes were on the Merlin now, who stared at the Monster King contemplatively.

I grimaced, along with Sans. The old man was dragging this out. He had already made his decision.

* * *

"Have you everything that you need, Mr. Dresden?"

I looked up from my mostly packed belongings and met Toriel's gaze from the entrance of the small cave room. The queen's eyes had a sad, tense look to them, but other than that she kept herself calm and collected.

The Merlin had accepted Asgore's offer in the end – and had allowed him to go back to Mt. Elbert one last day before taking off to one of the fronts. The Council knew where the Monsters were, it wasn't like Asgore could run away. It was a smug, fake-generous gesture at best.

At least that's what I believed. Asgore had taken the news with genuine gratitude.

Today at noon, Sans had taken the goat-man and me back to the Warden training camp – and now the ibex-guy was gone.

I thought back to what the king had told me after the trial was finally over. I had confronted him about it – and he had regarded me with the same kind of calm posture that he had held on to since he had made the offer.

 _"I do recall asking you to put your sentence for my crimes on hold, Mr. Dresden. Now the time has come for me to begin my path of redemption. If the Red Court vampires are anything like they had been before our banishment, then I think helping your kind fight is a good way to start as any."_

 _"Well, maybe this wouldn't have been necessary if you had included me in the first place."_

 _"Had your leader decided differently on this matter, it would have not boded well for you. Your loyalties could have been called into question. We did not want to take that risk - although it would seem that your leader-wizard was eager to find something appalling to stick on you. Why he would do that to someone of your virtues is beyond me."_

"Mr. Dresden?" Toriel repeated patiently, taking me back to the present.

I nodded. "Yeah, there's not much left to pack. What about Molly, have you seen her?"

"Indeed I have. She is readily waiting outside, along with a group of her new friends."

In the short time spent with them, Molly had grown pretty close to many of the Monsters – mostly the children, but also a couple adults. Turns out she had befriended Alphys – it took me a while to remember the stuttering lizard Monster in the Underground laboratory, the royal scientist or something along those lines – and together, they had come up with some pretty strange ideas with the Monster magic-science combo.

I dropped an empty water bottle inside the backpack and fastened the zippers, then got up to join Toriel at the exit to the cave-corridors. The Monsters had started to implant glowing stones from the Underground into the walls, giving the whole cave-structure an almost other-worldly blueish sheen. They had made themselves at home quickly – but then again, they had lived in another, albeit much bigger, cave all their lives. It made me feel a little sick. I could only guess that, for many of them, this was a major throwback.

"Mrs. Harris and Mr. Davis were present at lunchtime, while you, Sans and Asgore had gone back to the wizard camp, to deliver the king," Toriel informed me as we walked through the somewhat narrow passageways. She sounded calm enough, but the small pauses before 'Asgore' and 'deliver' betrayed her. "They promised to call you and relay anything noteworthy on our side to you."

I nodded. And remembered the scene from two hours ago.

Against my better judgement, Toriel and Asgore had decided to nominate me a contact person – the wizard-middleman for Monsterkind, should any problems arise. The Merlin had agreed, knowing that, if all came crumbling down in the end, he could blame me for it. Now I was supposed to send regular reports about the Monster activities and progresses in addition to my regular duties.

While being in a completely different state.

The Merlin called it a position of honor, which translated to me not getting paid for the job.

At least not from the Council.

Toriel, however, promised to "reimburse me for my troubles". I wasn't sure how she was planning on doing that, given that the first dollar she ever saw was one out of my wallet, but she wouldn't let herself be talked out of it either.

"Oh my!" Toriel's voice yanked me out of my recollections. The goat queen had her paws covering her muzzle, staring in mild shock.

"I almost forgot! I allowed myself to make some provisions for you and your student for your way home. I will go fetch them and meet you outside, my friend."

I watched her leave and tried to ignore her newly-found name-tag for me, before turning around and following the illuminated passageway downwards. I passed a couple of Monsters on the way – some greeting me enthusiastically, some shyly, and some even curtsying.

Sure as hell couldn't deal with that, so I hurried along.

Close to the cave-structure exit, I ran into Frisk. The kid was alone, sitting on a flattened rock, staring holes into the wall opposite to them, brows furrowed, pouting.

Pouting?

"What's that face for?" I asked, and the child glanced up at me.

"It's all wrong," they said, dissatisfied.

I arched a brow. "What is?"

"The Council trial. They didn't punish me. I didn't face any consequences for my actions in the end," they muttered. I almost snorted out loud.

Okay, I did.

"Frisk, you're the first kid I know that is disappointed because they _didn't_ get punished for something."

"Well, I should be the first kid you know that killed a hundred people and played time-god for three years, right?", they answered back – once again with way more quip than they should have at their age. Sharing their soul with Chara hadn't quite made them into an adult in a child's body, but it had definitely mentally opened them for a whole world of cynicism.

I frowned, scanning the surroundings quickly for any eavesdroppers – but nobody was there. Not even the animate flower that had stuck to Frisk ever since the search for Chara had turned out fruitless.

"They're all either outside, waiting for you and Molly, or went deeper inside," Frisk mumbled when they noticed my reaction. "And Flow- Asriel's gone back into the Underground, to his flower patch." They picked up a pebble and threw it against the wall. One of the glowing crystals plopped out and fell on the ground. The child grunted in frustration, got on their feet, picked it up and put it back in place.

I sighed.

"Look, kid-"

"They even sentenced Chara to death, and they weren't even _there_ ," Frisk continued their complaint, clearly upset now. "Why is it that I'm the only one that gets away with everything?"

True. Of course I had ended up telling the Council about the whole Chara-mess on the mountain. I had to.

Both the Merlin and Morgan had eagerly jumped on the opportunity to criticize my failure to catch the Parasite-freak, and had declared Chara and (by extension) Mandy dangerous to-be-eliminated targets. While I wholeheartedly agreed when it came to Chara, Mandy was another story. Maybe the girl was still conscious. Maybe she could be saved.

The chance was slim, but it was there.

I reached out to Frisk and gave their shoulder a light squeeze. "If it helps, you're not getting away with anything. You promised Papyrus to come clean to every Monster – that's going to have its repercussions, kid. Speaking the truth always does."

Frisk stiffened a little, but when they glanced up at me, their eyes were steady – if a little troubled.

"You think that will be enough, Mr. Dresden?"

I snorted. "I think it will demand a lot of courage, kid. Not everyone's going to just roll with it like Papyrus did."

The child laughed nervously. "That's true."

I hesitated for a moment, then bent down and grabbed them by both shoulders, risking a short look into their eyes.

"Listen, once you've started – stay close to Paps. You can repent all you want, but… play it safe."

Frisk stared at me for a silent moment, then a bright smile sprawled onto their face and they jumped forward, hugging me. It took me by surprise – aside from the one time they hadn't really been wholly awake, the kid had always kept a certain distance to me until now. So I just stood there awkwardly, and before I could react, Frisk had already let go again and taken two steps back.

"Sorry, Mr. Dresden," they muttered, squinting to the side, their arms hidden behind their back. "I… I just think I'm going to miss you."

Ha. Still a child at the core. I grunted, reached out and ruffled up their hair, not sure what else to do.

"You be good, kid."

And with that, I turned and walked out of the cave.

When I thought that Frisk's clumsy goodbye would be the end of it, I had been dead-wrong.

Outside the cave, they were all waiting – everyone I had gotten to know a little better since climbing Mt. Elbert for the second time, plus some curious onlookers here and there.

I wanted to make my way to Molly and Mouse, but I couldn't even make two steps before Toriel ran up to me, clenching a lunch box to her chest. She politely but firmly stuffed it into my backpack, came in front of me again and pulled me into a mother-like embrace, thanking me for… I didn't really keep track of it.

Needless to say, I was mortified.

Hardly had she let go again when Papyrus followed suit and gave me a tight, lanky bear-hug, exclaiming his friendship for the whole mountain to hear.

I heard Molly giggle in the back and wished for nothing more than to get back home instantly.

After Papyrus, Undyne was the next to yank me into a side-hug, once again challenging me to a friendly spar sometime in the future – like she had done countless times since yesterday. Thankfully, she was the last one so keen on physical contact – and after the rest of the Monsters had given me a mix of cheerful or neutral goodbyes, they almost all turned in unison towards my student.

Molly's face, initially pulled into a snarky grin, turned into abject horror. Meanwhile, Mouse got on his paws, stretched with a groan and strolled away from her, taking a safe distance.

Molly put her hands up defensively, but to no avail. Undyne was the first to grab her and pull her into a noogie, and the rest of the Monsters present joined in one-by-one, until they had built some weird pile atop another. Somewhere below all of that, I heard the cries of humiliation of the oh-so-cool teenage witch.

It was… definitely a sight to see.

Toriel, whose dignity didn't allow her to just jump onto the pile, stood aside and giggled into her paw.

Something nudged my side and distracted me from the bizarre Monster pile in front of me.

 **"eyyyy, buddy."** Sans stood there, his perpetual grin a little more relaxed than the last few days.

And giving me finger-guns.

God dammit, Sans.

I snorted. "I've had enough hugs for today."

The skeleton winked up at me. **"can tell. don't be a stranger."**

"Don't really have a choice in the matter anymore," I replied wryly.

He chuckled.


	24. Epilogue - 30 Days Later

**Epilogue: 30 Days Later**

The next month was – by comparison – really calm. Sure, I had a few small jobs here and there; A scary clanking noise inside the walls, which turned out to be a loose piece of scrap metal stuck in the air-vents; A few consultations about the non-existent ghost of grandma that surely wouldn't mind if her urn was moved to another room; A necklace that had mysteriously vanished – it reappeared just as mysteriously when I decided to stick my hand into the couch cracks. Along with some coins and some underwear.

I didn't ask.

And then, thirty days after I had come back to Chicago, my phone rang. The display showed Colorado's prefix numbers.

"Dresden," I answered, knowing what to expect.

"This is Mrs. Harris." The middle-school teacher's voice had grown a lot steadier since the last time I had heard her. "Toriel asked me to relay a message to you."

I nodded, staring out of the – long since fixed – windows. "How is it going over there?"

"Yes, well… I suppose you would know that, but this magical Council of yours has provided hiding measures for the Monsters for now. It's supposed to prevent oblivious hikers from walking right into the caves. Toriel made sure that Clark and I could still enter, so there are no complications."

Toriel had decreed that caution for now was the number one priority. As for how she was planning on finally getting in contact with the rest of human society, I had no clue. The Monster's phones still didn't work outside of Mt. Elbert, so Mrs. Harris and sometimes Davis were the contact bridges between them and me – the only other option would have been moving between Illinois and Colorado every other month, and that, aside from being really not practical, would have cost a lot of nerve at some point.

"Have you received the payment, by the way?"

I grunted. "I have, yes. For being so worried about your spending, Mrs. Harris, you sure payed that off quickly. And quite a bit more than we agreed on, I might add."

A lighthearted chuckle came from the other side of the line.

"Ah, yes, well – I have decided to dabble into the gold business, you see. As a hobby."

I arched a brow. "I feel like I'm missing the punchline here."

"The Monsters' currency," Mrs. Harris explained willingly, "it's pure gold coins. Toriel entrusted me with a certain amount and told me to do with it in any way I see fit – to help Monsterkind out."

I noticed that I had sat down somewhere in there.

"As for further progress – Alphys dear, would you mind explaining these points yourself? I'm not sure I understand this enough to explain it properly."

Alphys? But wasn't that…

"Mrs. Harris, from where are you calling?" I asked.

"My house, why?"

I almost dropped the receiver.

"What?"

"See, that is what I wanted to tell you," Mrs. Harris babbled on lightly. "As I understood it, by talking to your student, Molly, and by working together with some other Monsters, Alphys managed to create – what do you call them? – _veil mechanics_. Alphys used the prototype to get to me, apparently it lets them use their magic to look like a human somehow. It doesn't really… well… it's a start."

A pause.

Then: "I'm supposed to tell you that it's special because it doesn't drain on their magic too much. Like I said, that whole issue is still not my forte. But Alphys… is too shy to come to the phone."

I pondered about the news for a bit.

"So… what does that mean for the queen's coming-out plan?"

The Red Court had lived among humans with flesh masks since forever, so the concept wasn't all that new. I just somehow doubted that it would work with a species that was… less subtle about their nature.

Mrs. Harris seemed to share that opinion, going by the huffing sound from the speaker.

"Alphys says they want to try to integrate first and build some bonds, ease their way in slowly. To be honest, Mr. Dresden…" Her voice became hushed and I heard her move, probably into another room so Alphys wouldn't hear her as easily.

"I worry about them. Even with Clark, Amy's mother and me – and my husband Eric, you understand I couldn't just keep this from him – even with the support from us four, once each Monster has one of those veiling devices, they will wander into society with little to nothing leading them. They are so very… trusting. I cannot help but fear that they will be taken advantage of – or get themselves into trouble." She cleared her throat. "Toriel is a well enough example. She went along and entrusted me with her people's money, so I could try and exchange that with our currency. Without knowing anything about the worth of their coins, no opportunity to check if I wouldn't withhold some for myself."

I suppressed an amused snort. I too thought Toriel and most of the Monster people were too trusting. With Mrs. Harris, however, Toriel might just be a good judge of character.

"See them as just another one of your classes, Mrs. Harris. Maybe that will make it easier."

The answer started with a scandalized gasp. "Mr. Dresden! These people are not a group of children, I-"

"In any case," I interrupted to avoid the oncoming lecture of the teacher, "while I _am_ two states away, I will do my best to help if any problems arise. One, it's my job, and two, I am used to dealing with tricky situations. Don't worry, Mrs. Harris."

I will do that for you.

The middle-school teacher let out an exasperated sigh.

"I suppose… well, there is only going forward, isn't there?"

I nodded absently. "Going backwards wouldn't be very practical."

She snorted. "Well then, Mr. Dresden. That was all I wanted to inform you about. If you plan on seeing these magical costume-making devices, then I suggest coming over."

I caught the obvious send-off tone and leant forward.

"I'll see what I can do, Mrs. Harris. 'til next time."

"Until next time."

* * *

Author's note:  
Aaaand it's done! _Although_ \- there will be a Part 2 somewhere in the future.  
But this here is done.  
Finally.  
Until next time, thank you all for reading!


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